Ricky Gervais to explore the afterlife
- 09 September 2011
- John Howell
Personally I can’t get enough of Ricky Gervais, from The Office, Extras, An Idiot Abroad, his podcasts with Karl Pillkington and Steven Merchant, or just reading his blog, the man is a comic genius (Karl Pilkington and Stephen Merchant are sensational too!). So when I came across an article in The Hollywood Reporter that revealed he was heading into comic/fantasy territory once more I immediately paid attention. The British comedy writer and performer is developing a TV show called Afterlife with Dexter producer Clyde Phillips. Afterlife is about an atheist who dies and goes to heaven. As an outspoken atheist, I imagine Gervais will have a lot of fun playing with this idea.
On his blog Ricky Gervais wrote:
“Dexter has consistently been my favourite show of the last five years. When I first saw Clyde’s name all over it I knew I had to work with him one day."
“I found out he was also a fan of my work and we then became friends on email and through short conversations on various red carpets. We finally started working on an idea this year and really hit it off. I am so excited about this."
Apparently the pair have already started writing a pilot episode, which they plan to film early next year. Gervais will also act in Afterlife, although whether it will just be a cameo or as the lead is unclear.
The last time Ricky Gervais entered comic fantasy territory was with the alternate reality film The Invention of Lying. While it wasn’t a giant box office success, it was a great trip and worth renting or buying if you haven’t already.
Gervais has a lot of shows being developed, including a new sitcom called Life's Too Short, a second series of Karl Pillkington’s An Idiot Abroad, and further adventures in animated comedy land with another series of his animated podcasts, so a release date is likely to be distant (there is also a possibility he will host the next Golden Globes too).
We'll let you know when we hear more. Here's a interview with Ricky Gervais discussing the joke he couldn't use as host of the last Golden Globe Awards ceremony:
I'm a big fan of Ricky Gervais' work, from the masterful BBC...
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