...in new Ben Stiller comedy

The IT Crowd’s Richard Ayoade has landed his first big-budget Hollywood role.

He will star alongside Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill in the comedy Neighborhood Watch, to be released in 2013.

The film revolves around a group of concerned citizens whose community crime-stopping group stumbles across a much bigger conspiracy.

Ayoade – whose indie directorial debut Submarine attracted much praise last year – will play a character called Jamarcus, trade paper Variety reports. However, no other details are known.

He reportedly won the role ahead of Rush Hour star Chris Tucker.

Seth Rogan co-wrote the script with Evan Goldberg, and former Saturnday Night Live writer Akiva Schaffer is directing.

Ayoade, 34, started in comedy as a member of the Cambridge Footlights troupe before coming to prominence in 2000's Perrier-award winning Edinburgh show Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight. He has also appeared in the Mighty Boosh and Nathan Barley as well as his own spoof chat show Man to Man with Dean Learner.

Published: 14 Sep 2011