Larrakins is set in Aussie outback

Tim Minchin is to direct his first Hollywood movie – a big-budget Hollywood animation for the Dreamworks studio.

The comic and composer had already been working on the musical numbers for the Australian-set film Larrakins, when executives asked him to take the helm – even though he admits ‘I know nothing about animation.’

‘They started saying, “Why don't you direct this?”,’ Minchin told The Age newspaper in Melbourne. ‘And I was like, “You're fucking joking.” And then I realised they were serious.'’

The plot revolves around a bilby – a rabbit-sized marsupial that is a part of traditional indigenous culture in the deserts of Central Australia – who goes on a quest after finding a dropped egg.

‘It's a bit Star Wars, a bit Gods Must be Crazy, a big road journey,’ Minchin explained.

The screenplay was written by Harry Cripps, who wrote the 2005 TV comedy Supernova, starring Rob Brydon, and both he and Minchin are keen to ensure the finished film has an indigenous Australian flavour. '

‘It's incredibly important to me how we depict Aboriginal Australia,’ Minchin said. ‘We want to bathe the thing in traditional indigenous music... and you can't just exploit their stories, you can't exploit their music, without asking. So we've got to do all that.'

When Minchin first signed on to the film, Dreamworks boss Bill Damaschke said: ‘We've been looking to work with the immensely talented Tim Minchin on something for a while, and there is no doubt that this project is a perfect fit. He and Harry Cripps will be a fantastic team.’

The comic has also been working on a sitcom for the BBC. A pilot of 88 Keys was piloted late last year in which he plays a loudmouth cocktail pianist, alongside Kayvan Novak as a barman.

Published: 13 Apr 2014