"Ghost" story for Gervais and Kinnear

By Tatiana Siegel and Borys Kit

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Ricky Gervais and Greg Kinnear will star in the romantic comedy "Ghost Town."

The story centers on a dentist who dies briefly during routine dental surgery and gains the ability to see dead people who ask him for help in contacting the living.

Steven Spielberg's go-to screenwriter David Koepp ("War of the Worlds," "Indiana Jones 4") will direct the DreamWorks project from a script he wrote with John Kamps. The studio created a splash when it paid a reported $2 million for their pitch in March 2005. It is eyeing an October start date.

Gervais is best known for creating and starring in the British comedies "The Office" and "Extras." He most recently appeared on the big screen in a cameo in "Night at the Museum," and will appear in Paramount's upcoming fantasy "Stardust."

Kinnear most recently starred in "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Fast Food Nation."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter