On the surface, Ricky Gervais and Mike Flanagan may not have much in common: One is a British comedian known for his Globes roasts and the other is a horror filmmaker known for his Stephen King adaptations. Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll find quite a few similarities in their work. That’s what Ricky Gervais did in a recent Twitter chat with followers, and it ended with Gervais wanting to work with the prolific creator. The Fall of the House of Gervais, anyone?
Like millions of other Netflix viewers, Gervais was first exposed to Flanagan’s work when Midnight Mass hit in fall 2021. He became an instant fan. “I absolutely loved it, and it got better and better. It's like all the themes like love and death, regret, second chances, but it's about good and evil in a Biblical sense,” Gervais said.
Gervais has made no secret of his passionate disinterest in religion. But the devout nature of Midnight Mass still appealed to him and even reminded him of his own work. “It reminded me of all the themes of After Life — but where After Life is sort of real, and the main character is an atheist, this [Midnight Mass] is if religion is real. If God is real,” Gervais told his followers.
The only barrier to a possible collaboration, it seems, is that Gervais doesn’t seem to know who Flanagan actually is. “I don't know who did it [Midnight Mass]; I don't know who wrote it or directed it. I don't know if they're the same person,” he laughed. “If they are, I want to work with them. If you're responsible for creating or writing and directing Midnight Mass.” Somebody get this man to Google!
