He's taken supporting roles and cameos in (by our count) three bajillion Hollywood films recently (look out for him in Stardust soon), but Ricky Gervais is finally to give himself a lead role in, and indeed co-direct, This Side Of The Truth.
The film is set in a contemporary world where no one has ever lied. Gervais plays an actor who tells the world's first lie and uses it to get ahead.
"My character works in the film industry, where actors are really readers who tell completely factual stories," Gervais said. "My character's a loser who's about to lose his job, and who's lumbering through the 1300s. All he's got to work with is the Black Death. But once he lies and pretends he's found lost stories, he becomes the greatest storyteller in the world."
Gervais co-wrote the film with Matt Robinson, and the pair are set to co-direct when filming starts in the spring. Let's hope that Gervais brings us something as funny as his usual schtick, but maybe a little different.