Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) has acquired rights from Protagonist Pictures to the Ricky Gervais comedy in multiple territories led by the UK.

Rights have also gone in Latin America, Australia/New Zealand, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and South Africa.

Gervais wrote, will direct and star in Special Correspondents alongside Eric Bana.

The remake of the French comedy Envoyés Très Spéciaux is scheduled to commence shooting in New York and Vancouver in spring.

The story centres on a radio journalist and his technician who fake frontline war reports and must travel to Ecuador to find the rebels they have been reporting on after the global response to their stories gets out of hand.

Bron Studios and Unanimous Entertainment are co-producing in association with Creative Wealth Media Finance.

Unanimous’ Chris Coen, Bron’s Aaron L Gilbert, Manuel Munz are producing with Gervais. Creative Wealth’s Jason Cloth and Larry Sanisky are executive producers.  WME Global represents US rights.

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