Filming begins on Garfield movie

Filming has begun in London on British director Peter Hewitt’s Garfield, which is based on the American comic strip about an overweight, sardonic cat saddled with a nerdy owner and a nitwit dog.

A combination of live action and computer generated images, Garfield stars Bill Murray in the title role with Breckin Meyer as his owner.

Garfield’s pink, sarcastic girlfriend will be played by Debra Messing, who is currently in London starring opposite Dermot Mulroney in the romantic comedy Something Borrowed, according to reports in Hollywood.

Garfield, drawn by Jim Davis, marked its 25th anniversary last month.

It made its debut in 41 US newspapers and is now one of the world’s most widely syndicated comic strips, appearing in 2,570 newspapers in 111 countries.