Netflix Acquires Ricky Gervais' 'Special Correspondents'

"Smart social satire with heart."

That's how Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos described Ricky Gervais' latest film project Special Correspondents, which the streaming service has just nabbed for a worldwide exclusive.

Sure, it's going to need some work before it becomes the official tag line, but it's a promising set of words to put on the poster for now. 

A satirical comedy (you probably guessed that, didn't you?) based on a 2009 French film of the same name, Special Correspondents sees Eric Bana cast as a New York-based radio journalist, whose lavish lifestyle has overtaken his struggling reporting career. In an effort to pump some much needed scoops into his portfolio, he and his technician (played by Gervais, who will also write and direct the film) take the unorthodox decision to fake their own kidnapping during a rebel uprising in South America, supplying false front-line war reports recorded from their hide out above a Manhattan Spanish bar.

Special Correspondents joins Netflix's growing list of premieres and exclusives, which includes the likes of the sequel to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and a raft of projects by Adam Sandler.

Sarandos added further quote-ready praise to the announcement, describing Special Correspondents as "Classic Ricky Gervais... It's the kind of great grown-up comedy that studios rarely make anymore, one that’s perfect for Netflix members around the world".

We'll have to wait until 2016 to see the finished project - plenty of time to plough through Derek.

(Images: Rex)