Ricky Gervais's television work has already won him multiple Bafta, Golden Globe and Emmy awards. But they don't seem to have sated his appetite for film glory.

The British comic found critical favour starring in comedy Ghost Town last year. His first film as a director, The Invention of Lying, hits US cinemas in September and this week saw the start of the shoot on Cemetery Junction, co-written and directed by Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Now, his children's book series Flanimals is to enjoy a big-screen 3D animated outing, Variety reports.

Gervais will voice the lead character in the film version, which is being adapted for the screen by The Simpsons writer and producer Matt Selman. Flanimals, a four-volume series written by Gervais and illustrated by Rob Steen, introduced readers to a world of weird creatures, ranging from Grundit, a dopey, muscular blue Flanimal with a bump on its head, to Honk, a small Flanimal that spends most of its time asleep, but occasionally wakes to emit a loud honk.

Gervais's character, Puddy the Puddloflaj, is a pudgy, perspiring purple creature who spends most of its days avoiding the Grundit. "It will be great to play a short, fat, sweaty loser for a change," Gervais said.

The film is being produced by Chris Meledandri under the auspices of new Universal offshoot Illumination. Flanimals does not as yet have a director or full voice cast.