Universal Acquires International Rights to Ricky Gervais’ This Side of the Truth
In the wake of the success of the original British version of The Office, Ricky Gervais has taken his time breaking into the American film industry despite the fact that he was reportedly on the receiving end of a lot of big studio offers. Over the past few years he did another BBC series, Extras, which is now finished, and a few smaller roles in movies like Stardust, Night at the Museum, and Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration. But it seems that what he may have been after all along was a chance to write and direct his own film, and now he’s got that chance with This Side of the Truth.
Last week it was announced that Universal Pictures had acquired the distribution rights to the film everywhere outside of the U.S. (Warner Bros have domestic distribution already). Clearly a lot of people are anticipating big things from this movie, and with an all-star cast that includes Christopher Guest, Rob Lowe, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey and Jeffrey Tambor, I don’t blame them. The movie involves an imaginary world where no one has ever lied before, and the story of one man who just can’t help himself. For regular updates on the film’s production, you can follow the weekly production blog that Gervais is writing.
An excerpt from the latest entry: “We were shooting a scene in a bar in the heart of Lowell. I had chicken and mash for lunch. The day went brilliantly and we finished two and a half hours early. No point in working yourself to death. It’s only a film.” Classic.
Comments (7)
In my opinion, Ricky Gervais is probably the funniest man working in TV/Film today. I have loved the projects that he has written/directed and am really looking forward to this film.
Is he havin’ a laugh?
Sorry. That was ghey.
Posted by Jon Rocks on April 15th, 2008I have fallen in love with this guy. What’s Steven Merchants involvement though? On The Ricky Gervais Show, he was always the one that made me howl the most. His story about going to a London superclub was fucking hilarious. Is he in the film or has he written anything on it? I hope so, but I am definitely extremely excited about this film.
Posted by Henrik on April 15th, 2008Merchant’s not involved in this particular movie, but I believe he’s working on another new project with Ricky Gervais.
Posted by Sean on April 15th, 2008I’ve never been a big fan of The Office, but I loved Extras. I’m looking forward to this.
Posted by Rian on April 15th, 2008Oh man, Stephen Merchant really kills me too! He was so good in Extras. I’m a big fan of Gervais and, yeah, that is a great cast… definitely getting excited for this film.
Posted by Derek on April 16th, 2008This man is so amazing. I love him.
Posted by Kristal on April 16th, 2008Other than Larry David, no one knows how to create tension and awkwardness better than Ricky Gervais. On top of that, he knows when to end shows. He doesn’t keep doing the same thing over and over, and I really respect that. Most times series are beaten to death, running so long that they end up having to do a musical episode (see scrubs, buffy, etc.) Thankfully Gervais is the kinda guy who knows when to call it quits. Can’t wait for the new film!
Posted by AdamR on May 16th, 2008Leave a Reply