Happyish: Steve Coogan to replace Philip Seymour Hoffman

Steve Coogan has been cast in Showtime’s Happyish series that was to have starred the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Philip Seymour Hoffman had been due to begin filming the lead role in Happyish at the time of his drug-related death in February.

Showtime will shoot a new “pilot” show, starring Steve Coogan as a Briton in New York whose world is disrupted when he gets a much younger boss.

Show creator Shalom Auslander said he “possesses the unique combination of talents this role demands”.

“Steve’s range is astounding,” continued the writer and producer, describing the Alan Partridge star as “a comedy legend [and] a gifted satirist”.

The original Happyish pilot also featured Rhys Ifans and comedian Louis CK alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Thom Payne character.

It is not yet known whether any of the original pilot’s actors will reprise their performances in the reshot version.

When Philip Seymour Hoffman died at the age of 46, Steve Coogan remembered him as “a hugely gifted actor” whom he had “looked up to and admired”.