Say what you will about Ricky Gervais, and I could say plenty, but the guy certainly knows how to keep busy without his stock as a comedic performer dipping considerably. I, for one, have found him obnoxious and strangely desperate when he goes for more obviously mean-spirited jibes, which have peppered his awards-hosting gigs heavily. Beyond that, however, he has proven to be a generally funny and amiable actor and comedian, whether in the classic original BBC production of The Office, Extras, or his underrated big-screen comedy The Invention of Lying. And his recent run on Netflix, especially with Derek, have yielded some intermittently wonderful episodes and sequences that attest to his sense of social awareness and exacting faux-naivete.
He'll soon be partnering with Netflix again in Special Correspondents, a satire of modern news coverage, co-starring Eric Bana, America Ferrara, Benjamin Bratt, Vera Farmiga, and Kelly MacDonald amongst others. Today brought the first full trailer for the film, in which Gervais also serves as writer and director, and there's quite a lot of promising material at play here. We'll see how it all comes together when Special Correspondents debuts on the streaming service on April 29th.
Here's the full trailer for Special Correspondents:
Here's the official synopsis for Special Correspondents:
Special Correspondents, a new Netflix original feature film was written and directed by Ricky Gervais and stars Eric Bana (Deliver Us From Evil, Lone Survivor) and Gervais (Muppets Most Wanted, Derek). The film is about a struggling New York based radio journalist whose arrogance and decadent lifestyle has hindered his career. With his job on the line, he fakes front line war reports from the comfort of his hideout above a Spanish restaurant in Queens.
The film also stars Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel, Up in the Air), Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire, Brave), Kevin Pollak (The Usual Suspects, Casino), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty, How to Train Your Dragon), Raúl Castillo (Looking, Cold Weather), and Benjamin Bratt (Modern Family, 24: Live Another Day).
The film is a co-production between Bron Studios and Unanimous Entertainment. The producers are Gervais, Unanimous’ Chris Coen, Bron’s Aaron L. Gilbert, Manuel Munz, and Larry Sanitsky. Jason Cloth and Ron McLeod are executive producers.
