Eddie Izzard plans Riches movie

By Mark Savage BBC News entertainment reporter

Izzard's co-star in The Riches is British actress Minnie Driver

Stand-up comedian Eddie Izzard says he is making a film version of his cancelled US TV show, The Riches.

The Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated drama, about a family of con artists, was not renewed by TV network FX after its second season ended in April.

"We've had the meeting and the writers are going to go off and slam out a story," Izzard told the BBC.

"We're going to raise money like Barack Obama through the internet, and we're going to shoot it guerilla-style."

Izzard, who has returned to the West End with his new stand-up show, Stripped, won rave reviews for his role in The Riches when it debuted in 2007.

'Incendiary'

The New York Daily News called the comedian and his co-star Minnie Driver "revelations" as Wayne and Dahlia Malloy, two travellers who assume the identity of a well-off suburban couple after they are killed in a car crash.

Money's getting tight, so it's the time to go out and be inventive Eddie Izzard

Despite similarly positive reviews for the second season, the show was left in limbo for five months until September, when supporting actor Todd Stashwick wrote on his website that it had been cancelled.

A few days later, FX confirmed that it was not commissioning a new series.

Izzard said now was the "perfect time" to make an independently-funded film version of the show.

"Everything's getting tight, money's getting tight and there's the credit crunch - so it's the time to go out and be inventive."

"We'll shoot it guerilla-style," he continued, "using gorillas to actually shoot it. We're going to give them cameras...

"No, we're going to just get in there and maybe not have permission to do things, but just film it.

"People will be going, 'who are they? Who are they?'"

Izzard's stand-up show is at the Lyric Theatre in London until Christmas.

He also plays a role in forthcoming Tom Cruise film, Valkyrie.

The star also gave his opinion on John Sergeant's exit from Strictly Come Dancing.

"He's fallen on his sword for the good of the nation," he said.

"He knows why he's done that and hopefully it's positive."

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