After Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, it's widely believed that Simon Pegg can do no wrong; appearing as if custom-made to test that contention is the new comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run. Run, Fat Boy, Run gets approving nods from comedy connoisseurs when you mention Pegg's in the lead; mention the presence of David Schwimmer in the director's chair and their expressions change subtly ...

After the success of Friends, Schwimmer could have devoted himself to any number of pastimes -- stick-fighting, model rocketry, leisurely laps in a Scrooge McDuck-style pool of Sacagawea dollar coins. Instead, Schwimmer starred in Duane Hopwood -- which saw Schwimmer playing a barely-functioning alcoholic, as if a brief crawl through the gutter would get the Ross off him -- and here he makes his directorial debut.

Run, Fat Boy, Run stars Pegg as Dennis; five years ago, Dennis left his pregnant girlfriend Libby (Thandie Newton) at the altar. Now, he's living in a basement flat, working as a security guard, occasionally being a good dad to his son Jake (Matthew Fenton) -- and confronted with Libby's relationship with Whit (Hank Azaria), a well-to-do, can-do American. In a moment of weakness -- motivated by pride, or idiocy, or both -- Dennis reacts to Whit's bragging about his upcoming athletic endeavors by saying that he, too, is going to run the London Marathon ...

David Schwimmer hasn't had an easy time after Friends. Since the popular series wrapped, he's had one completely-off-the-radar release, one new release, and the voice of a giraffe. There have been no well-publicized romantic exploits, or a television show. Maybe it's the curse of the Gellars, as Courtney Cox has also been out of the spotlight. Schwimmer's comedic goofiness seems to have carried him as far as it can, at least on-screen. Now, he will Schwim behind the camera with the new film, Run, Fat Boy, Run. It is a first for Material Entertainment -- the joined forces of Entertainment Film Distributors and New Line Cinema.

Our own Martha Fischer originally covered the film when Simon Pegg was in negotiations to play the "fat boy." An original screenplay by Michael Ian Black ( Reno 911!), Run tells the tale of an overweight man who wants to win back the fiancé he left at the alter five years earlier by running in a marathon and somehow upstaging her dapper new fiancé. With casting complete, Pegg will be joined by Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria, and Dylan Moran. Is it safe to assume that Azaria will be the new man in her life? For a man who still has charisma as a tight pants Lancelot, the script must make him really undesirable.

The cast looks promising, although we all know that great casts don't necessarily make great movies. The title? Well, I think they could have come up with something a little more original, but we're talking about the guy who writes about over-the-top cops in Reno . Basically, it follows the usual supportive formula when you can't think of your own words of encouragement. My first memory of it is in Forrest Gump with the whole "Run, Forrest, run!" And, my favourite use would be the juvenile, yet funny, chiding "Fly, fat ass, fly!" from Mallrats.

Can you think of earlier uses of the "Action, Name, Action" formula? What are your favourites?

Call me crazy, but Simon Pegg is not someone I would have anywhere near my dream-cast list if I was trying to fill the lead of a movie called Run, Fat Boy, Run. Unless the man has experienced some serious weight gain since the last Hot Fuzz video blog entry, he's missing what would seem to be one of the primary requirements for that role, namely the fat. Despite that, this morning's Hollywood Reporter insists that Pegg is in negotiations to star in the film, in which he'd play "a charming but oblivious overweight guy who leaves his fiancee on their wedding day only to discover years later that he really loves her." While trying to convince the woman that they belong together, the Pegg character for some reason has to run a marathon, which explains the film's title.

The movie was written by Michael Ian Black, and will be directed by none other that David Schwimmer. Seeing as how Run, Fat Boy, Run is Schwimmer's debut feature as a director, I feel it's time to offer a single piece of advice: Just say no to fat suits. Nobody want to see a white, male Big Momma. If Pegg is going to play your damn Fat Guy, feed him cheese burgers -- lots and lots of cheese burgers. If he complains, just tell him that the Academy loves that crap. (The problem, however, is that the movie starts filming next month. That might not be enough to time for the necessary burger pounding.)