The British comedian and actor will join Sasson Gabai and Moni Moshonov on the cast of Hunting Elephants, which Bleiberg Entertainment is co-funding with United King and selling in Cannes.

Reshef Levi is directing from his own script and Ehud Bleiberg, Moshe Edery and Leon Edery of United King are producing.

The production receives the support of the Jerusalem Film and Television Fund, the Rabinovich Foundation Cinema Project, and Israeli pay-TV station HOT.

Hunting Elephants follows a clever but unpopular 12-year-old boy who teams up with his grandfather, the latter’s wily nursing home friend and an eccentric British lord to rob a bank and avenge his father’s death.

Principal photography is set to begin in July in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

“This feels too good to be true,” Bleiberg said. “To be working with some of favorite talents like Moni Moshonov and the legendary John Cleese is overwhelming. Sasson and I are looking forward to re-teaming after the success we had with The Band’s Visit, as this is actually quite similar in tone.

“It makes you feel good but you also care for the characters. I’ve been developing this project with Reshef for over two years and can’t imagine the package coming together any better than this.”