The Invention of Lying is a comedy film directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson, from their own script. The film is set on an alternate Earth where no one has ever lied, and stars Gervais as a performer who tells the world's first lie, coming to wield its power for personal gain. Gervais describes his character as someone who works in the film industry, where actors are really readers who tell completely factual stories...he's lumbering through the 1300s. All he's got to work with is the Black Death. But once he lies and pretends he's found lost stories, he becomes the greatest storyteller in the world.