The Invention of Lying

The Invention of Lying

An upcoming comedy film directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson, from their own script. The film was originally being produced under the title This Side of the Truth, but Gervais announced on his blog in April 2009 that the title had indeed been changed, reversing a previous assertion he had made to the contrary several weeks earlier.

The film is set on an alternate Earth where no one has ever lied, and stars Gervais as a performer who tells the world's first lie, coming to wield its power for personal gain. The Invention of Lying Trailers

Gervais describes his character as someone who "works in the film industry, where actors are really readers who tell completely factual stories [...] he'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."

The film was financed by Media Rights Capital and started shooting in Lowell, Massachusetts in April 2008 (it also had location shoots in Quincy, MA, North Andover, MA, and Boston).The film completed principal photography in early June 2008, and is now in post-production. Warner Bros. owns the rights for the film's North American distribution, while Universal Pictures owns the rights to release the film outside of North America.