“I don’t know if people would want to see them, but I’d have fun doing it.”

Although Secret of the Tomb, the third film in the popular family franchise, boasts a star-studded ensemble cast that includes Ben Stiller, the late Robin Williams and Ricky Gervais, Wilson and Coogan shot their material separately.

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Old friends ... Wilson and Coogan in Secret of the Tomb. Photo: Supplied Source: Supplied

“Some it feels like Steve and I are doing our own buddy movie because they film all our scenes green screen and so none of the other actors are there,’’ says Wilson, who reprises his role as Old West cowboy Jedediah.

“Luckily, we get along very well.”

While cynical industry observers dismiss Hollywood’s current predilection for sequels as little more than art-directed opportunism, Wilson, who already has three franchises under his belt, sees things very differently.

For him, revisiting a character audiences have become extremely fond of - from Night in the Museum, Cars or Meet the Parents - is a lot like becoming reacquainted with an old friend.

“Because I started off as a writer, I enjoy finding a character that I like to play and then just coming up with new lines for them,’’ he says.

On the move ... the Night at the Museum cast head to London in the third film in the popular franchise. Picture: 20th Century Fox Source: AP

“I guess some people want to challenge themselves with something new but I don’t have that feeling.

“I enjoy working with the same persona and playing the same character. For me, it’s stimulating because you are still trying to come up with funny situations.”

Wilson didn’t film any scenes with Robin Williams, who committed suicide at his home in California in August not long after completing work on the film, because of the technical logistics of downsizing his character.

But the 46-year-old Texan, who has battled with depression himself, says he has missed the much-loved comedian keenly while promoting the film.

On set ... Robin Williams Instagram post of him posing with the monkey in Night At The Museum. Picture: Instagram Source: Instagram

“Robin and I would always be paired together for the press junkets. You couldn’t ask for a better (press partner) because he does a lot of the heavy lifting.”

Wilson says the last time did interviews with Williams, who played Teddy Roosevelt in all three Night at the Museum films, the camera and sound crews gave him a round of applause at the end of the day.

“That was the only time I have ever seen that. I feel lucky to have had sort of a front-row seat to his genius and I don’t think it’s a stretch to call it a genius because his mind definitely worked in a different way.

“All of a sudden you got this jolt of electricity. But he also had this very real warmth. There was nothing mean spirited about his humour. He was a pretty remarkable person. I think we are all lucky to have had him.”

Sleeper hit ... Wilson and Stiller in Zoolander. Picture: Supplied Source: News Corp Australia

Confirming he is gearing up to shoot Zoolander 2 early next year, Wilson said he had been surprised by fans’ enduring enthusiasm for a follow-up to the 2001 movie in which Stiller plays a dimwitted male model.

“When the movie came out it didn’t do huge business, but when I travel around to other countries and people come up to me to talk about a movie they like, a lot of people mention Zoolander.”

While Wilson compares making an original movie to the first day at a new school, with all the anxiety and nervous energy that implies, he has bumped up the average since his well-received performance as Woody Allen’s alter ego in Midnight in Paris (2011).

Strong performance ... Wilson with Marion Cotillard in Midnight In Paris. Picture: Hopscotch Source: Supplied

Three of the films the actor has scheduled for release in the coming months are first-time collaborations.

The Coup, a thriller starring Pierce Brosnan and Lake Bell, is something of a change of pace for the actor, who is best known for Frat Pack films such as Wedding Crashers, and his work with Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited).

“That was a case of me reading a script and being like: gosh this is a page turner.”

She’s Funny That Way, which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, pairs Wilson with director Peter Bogdanovich, Jennifer Aniston, Imogen Poots and Quentin Tarantino.

“I am not a big fan of screwball comedies - I have a hard time if it isn’t grounded in some sort of reality - but this one made sense in my mind when I was doing it.

“It’s a little bit old fashioned and very quick.”

Team effort ... with Jason Schwartzman (left), Adrien Brody (centre) in Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited. Picture: Supplied Source: News Limited

The project that’s causing the most industry buzz, however, is Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice, co-starring Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin and set in California in the late 60s and early 70s.

“I was surprised when (Anderson) wrote me a very nice note saying he had this character he wanted me to play,” says the actor who has been cast as a jazz trumpeter who has fallen on hard times.

Wilson describes the film as “stranger and zanier” than Punch Drunk Love, the film in which comedian Adam Sandler reinvented himself and a personal favourite.

Comedy soulmates ... Coogan and Wilson at the New York premiere of Secret of the Tomb. Picture: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images. Source: Getty Images

When he doesn’t have the security of a proven franchise or regular collaborators, it seems, Wilson prefers to roll his dice with a director with plenty of runs on the board.

”I was very excited for that just because I love the movies he’s done and every actor wants the chance to hopefully be in a good movie.”

Night at the Museum: The Secret of The Tomb opens on Boxing Day.