Coogan and Stiller confirmed for ‘The Persuaders!’

A long shelved big budget movie update of 70’s TV flare-fest The Persuaders! has now officially gone into production.

Depending on your view of life The Persuaders! was either more fun than putting your trousers on and realising they’re shorts, or the most criminal waste of money (£100,000 an episode in the 1970’s?!) this side of Dynasty.

The colourful cult show starred Roger Moore (DVDs) and Tony Curtis (DVDs ) as a wealthy British lord and a self-made American millionaire respectively. They solved some crimes and bedded a lot of bikini-clad women. As this was during a time when liver was just something you ate occasionally, they also downed a truckload of alcohol too.

With Steve Coogan (DVDs) and Ben Stiller (DVDs) on board for the Moore/Curtis leads, we could be in for a comedy treat.

“I really, really loved The Persuaders,” commented Coogan “I liked the fact that
after Moore had punched someone, he’d immediately take a comb out, sort his haircut and wander off.”

Whether the movie will take the ironic route (big collars, Snoop Dogg, yawn), do straight comedy (comb and punching hi-jinks) or play it serious (with an exclamation mark in the title, that option would be frankly ridiculous) is yet to be revealed.

“I’m attached to play the Roger Moore part and I want Ben Stiller to do the Tony Curtis part.” added Coogan, perhaps while sipping a Persuaders favourite Creole Scream, “He’s a friend of mine, and he wants to do something with me.”

Coogan is still a great comic talent and his chum Ben Stiller is hardly Wes Anderson either.

“He’s a somebody and I’m a nobody, so I’m very grateful for the relationship right now.”

With the TV series’ exotic locales, classic fast cars and incredible John Barry (CDs) theme tune, this update could translate quite nicely to the big screen.

Plus with the promise of plenty of ladies in bikinis those of us still sexist enough to admit it will have more to do with our hands than eat popcorn.

Ever seen a pink DVD? Buy The Persuaders! all-episode boxset and be at one with your sunglasses.

[story by Chris Laverty]