Gervais will also star in another forthcoming film, Ghost Town

The 46-year-old will also co-write and direct the movie, called In This Side of the Truth.

The star, best known for creating The Office, is to appear as a man who finds he can fib in an environment where everyone supposedly tells the truth.

"In a world where no-one lies, I'm like Superman, because everyone believes everything I say," he told BBC Radio 1.

Gervais is also getting ready to work in New York for another film called Ghost Town.

He said he was very excited to have landed the part.

They're nice lads and they knew about my cats Ricky Gervais on meeting Take That

"Basically I'm saying it's not a British movie, all right, it's a real Hollywood movie. It's my first lead in a real Hollywood movie," he told Newsbeat.

Despite Gervais' profile rising over the past few years in both the UK and the US, he said he was still surprised when other celebrities knew so much about him.

He recently attended the premiere of the film Stardust, where boy band Take That asked him about his cat, Colin, who had died.

"It was lovely meeting Take That," he said.

"There's no better way to my heart. They're nice lads and they knew about my cats," he said.