But for Black, the story wasn't quite on his radar.
"I didn't even read the Cliff Notes. I came to it late about three years ago when a producer at 20th Century Fox called me and said 'Hey, I want to remake 'Gulliver's Travels.' Do you want to be Gulliver?' and I was like, 'Let me call you right back,'" said Black.
The actor said he quickly read the book and agreed to play the part.
Being Gulliver meant diving into a new world filled with green screens and special effects.
He starts the film as a "regular Joe," but then while trying to impress a woman at work, he ends up with an assignment in Bermuda-- and then the Bermuda Triangle. That's when his giant-sized adventure begins.
This version of "Gulliver's Travels" is family friendly, which is just the way Black wants it. He's enjoying cultivating that younger demographic.
"It was 'School of Rock' that opened up that whole world for me," said Black. "I had such a great experience on that. It's still my favorite movie that I've made. So why deny it, you know? I want to make stuff that I like to see, and 'Gulliver's Travels' seemed like the perfect combination of 'School of Rock' and King Kong.'"
"Gulliver's Travels" is rated PG. It hopes to make a "big" impact when it hits theatres on Wednesday.