About Special Correspondents

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• About
• Making / Production
• Actors
• Trivia / Interesting Facts
• Awards
• Quotes
• Music / Soundtrack

About

Special Correspondents is a dark comedy film released in 2016. It was directed by Ricky Gervais, who also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Ricky Gervais, Eric Bana, Vera Farmiga, and Kelly Macdonald in lead roles.

The plot follows a radio journalist and his technician who fake their own kidnapping while reporting from a war-torn country. They hide in New York City instead and continue to pretend to be on location, creating a whirlwind of mishaps and comedy of errors.

Making / Production

Ricky Gervais came up with the idea for Special Correspondents while working on the radio show, The Ricky Gervais Show. He initially wrote the screenplay as a 2009 French film adaptation, but later decided to make it in English. Gervais secured the services of Netflix to produce and distribute the film.

The film was shot in Toronto, Canada, which doubled as New York City. The shooting took place over a course of several months, with Gervais spending time perfecting the script and assembling the cast.

Actors

• Ricky Gervais as Frank Bonneville: Frank is a bumbling radio journalist who fakes his own kidnapping.
• Eric Bana as Ian Finch: Ian is Frank's technician who reluctantly joins him in the fake kidnapping scheme.
• Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Finch: Eleanor is Ian's wife and a colleague of Frank at the radio station.
• Kelly Macdonald as Claire Maddox: Claire is Frank's assistant who eventually becomes suspicious of his disappearance.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The film is a remake of the 2009 French film "Envoyés très spéciaux" by director Frédéric Auburtin.
• Ricky Gervais and Eric Bana had never worked together before, but their comedic chemistry on set was highly praised.
• The film satirizes the media and the role of journalists in creating news stories.
• Ricky Gervais wrote the original song "Lady Gypsy" for the film's soundtrack.

Awards

Special Correspondents did not receive any major awards or nominations.

Quotes

• "You might not be a journalist, but you're now officially a 'special correspondent.'"
• "Nothing sells a story better than a sympathetic human interest angle."
• "Truth is just a matter of perspective."

Music / Soundtrack

• "Lady Gypsy" - Written and performed by Ricky Gervais
• "Collide" - Written and performed by Scott Simons
• "Crash the Party" - Written and performed by Scott Simons
• "Le massacre de la Saint-Valentin" - Written and performed by Dave Sheinin