Special Correspondents Information

Special Correspondents is a 2016 British-Canadian-American satirical comedy film written, directed and starring Ricky Gervais. The film is a remake of the 2009 French comedy of the same name, and stars Gervais, Eric Bana, Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, Kevin Pollak, Benjamin Bratt, America Ferrera and Ral Castillo. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 22 April 2016 and will be released worldwide by Netflix on 29 April 2016.

Cast

• Eric Bana as Frank Bonneville
• Ricky Gervais as Ian Finch
• Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Finch
• Kelly Macdonald as Claire Maddox
• Benjamin Bratt as John Baker
• Kevin Pollak as Geoffrey Mallard
• America Ferrera as Brigida
• Ral Castillo as Domingo
• Ari Cohen as Rampling
• Meghan Heffern as Virginia
• Jim Norton as Rent Boy

Production

Pre-production

In late October 2014, it was reported that Ricky Gervais would be directing a remake of the French comedy Envoys trs spciaux, titled Special Correspondents (the French film's English translation), from his own screenplay. It was also announced that Eric Bana and Gervais would star in the film as a struggling radio journalist and his sidekick, respectively. In early May, it was reported that Kevin Pollak would have a supporting role in the film. On 27 May, it was revealed that Benjamin Bratt had been cast in the role of Bana's nemesis. On 30 May, Kelly Macdonald was reported to have joined the cast of the film. The following day, Vera Farmiga tweeted her involvement in the project; she was later confirmed to be portraying the role of Gervais' ruthless wife. Ral Castillo was reported to have joined the cast on 3 June. A picture of the complete cast was revealed by TheWrap on 5 June, confirming the casting of America Ferrera.

Filming

Filming began for Special Correspondents on 19 May 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Production moved from Toronto to New York City on 27 June. Principal photography was completed in New York on 2 July 2015.

Post-production

Gervais stated that he had picture locked the film. He said: "Even though it would certainly be billed as a comedy, it's not a big broad loud obvious one...It's a bit satirical. A bit dramatic. A bit romantic." In September 2015, Gervais posted on his blog they had begun recording and writing the score for the film. On 6 November 2015, Gervais announced that he had finished post-production on the film. In February 2016, it was announced that Dickon Hinchliffe had composed the score.

Distribution

Marketing

On the same day as the film's release date was announced, four stills from Special Correspondents were released, featuring the characters of Eric Bana, Ricky Gervais, Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, America Ferrera, and Ral Castillo. Gervais debuted the first official trailer on his Twitter account on 23 March 2016. A second trailer was released on 12 April 2016.

Release

In November 2014, it was reported that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions had purchased the rights to the film for territories including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Latin America. In April 2015, it was announced that Netflix had pre-bought the global distribution rights to the film for roughly $12 million. Special Correspondents received its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 22 April 2016, followed by an audience discussion with Gervais, Bana and additional cast members. The film will be released worldwide on 29 April 2016.

Reception

On Metacritic the film has a score of 35 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".