Ricky Gervais, creator of the acerbic British version of The Office, lives in an alternate universe in This Side Of The Truth. He's the man who discovers how to lie in a world where honesty is the only policy. Truth has a stellar comedy cast including Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Jonah Hill Christopher Guest, and Rob Lowe. Anything with Gervais and Bateman in it with a scifi alternate world slant has me interested. Click through to read more and check out a gallery of Gervais' set pictures.
Gervais plays the character Mark Bellison who he describes as a, "a loser and basically a nice guy. He is a very unsuccessful screenwriter in his forties with average looks, moderate intelligence and little hope for the future." Since no one in this world lies screen writers primarily re-tell historical facts. The character is in a miserable existence because he is forced to retell the 1300s and all he has to work with is the plague. Eventually Bellison realizes that he can make up his own facts (or "discover lost stories) and manipulate them to become the best story teller in the world.
Most of the filming is being done in Boston or the Boston suburbs, and most of the set appears to be in modern day times, yet there were few references to caveman costumes and the crew built a giant pre-historic warthog for one scene. Seems like the focus is largely on Bellison and his sad friends (Bald Louis CK and Jonah Hill) at work or in a bar.
Gervais has kept a blog of the comings and goings on the set of This Side Of The Truth. The videos are mainly Ricky Gervais goofing around on set and teasing Jason Bateman for his work on Teen Wolf Too. [Ricky Gervais]