Ricky Gervais burrows his way into Wind in the Willows as the Mole

There are few actors as consistently funny as Ricky Gervais, so anything he becomes attached to in any capacity, I have to be a little bit interested in. We won’t see his gorgeous face in this film, but hopefully some of his wit shines through in any case.

According to Variety, Gervais has signed on for the lead role of the Mole in the live-action/animatronic rendition of THE WIND AND THE WILLOWS helmed by Ray Griggs. “It’s a natural fit to have an iconic British actor star in an iconic British tale,” Griggs said. “I had Ricky in mind for this role from the inception of this project.”

The story follows a group of animals, a mole, a rat, a badger and a toad, and then adventures they have, and it spawned one of the scarier theme park attractions from my childhood, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Here’s what the current script has in store for the creatures:  

The animals join forces to save their land from a sinister plot that threatens to destroy the uneasy truce between the peaceful animals of the Willows and what remains of Mankind. Story begins when Mole ventures out of his lonely home for the first time and finds a world of new friendships, wonders and adventure waiting for him in the land of the Willows.

What remains of mankind? Wait what? I may be a bit rusty on the story here, but was this supposed to be set post-apocalypse? I must have missed that when I was four.