Netflix will debut in 2016 a new feature movie by British comedian Ricky Gervais and starring Australia’s Eric Bana about a radio reporter who files fake news about a far-away war from the comfort of a Manhattan hideout.

Eric Bana will star in Foreign Correspondents. Photo: Getty

Special Correspondents, starring Australia’s Eric Bana, is the latest in a growing stable of original productions being rolled out by the online video streaming service.

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“It’s the kind of great grown-up comedy that studios rarely make anymore, one that’s perfect for Netflix members around the world,” said Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos.

Sarandos described the film – written and directed by Gervais – as “classic Ricky Gervais; smart social satire with heart”, in a Netflix statement that gave no specific release date.

Showbiz trade journal Variety reported in October Special Correspondents would be a remake of a 2009 French comedy, Envoyes Tres Speciaux, by director Frederic Auburtin.

It will be the first film that Gervais – best known for the original British version of the hit television sitcom The Office – has directed since his 2010 comedy Cemetery Junction.

Netflix’s ever-expanding roster of original output stretches from the political drama House of Cards to children’s shows and documentaries to be co-produced with Hollywood A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio.