Steve Coogan cast in Philip Seymour Hoffman Showtime comedy role

TheShowtime comedy series for which Philip Seymour Hoffman had shot a pilot before his untimely death at age 46 in February, "Happyish," has been recast, Newsday contributor Frank Lovece reports. The cable network said yesterday that the comedian and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Steve Coogan, 49, would play the lead role of Thom Payne, a 44-year-old coping with a new 25-year-old boss. The recast pilot will shoot in New York in December. Showtime president David Nevins said in July he had five scripts from series creator Shalom Auslander and wanted to go forward with a new star but that there were "no guarantees."