Created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant Back in 2001, ‘The Office’ is probably one of the most influential comedies of the 21st century. So it’s no surprise at the proliferation of international remakes (and copies) that have sprung up in the more than two decades since its inception, most notably the American version starring Steve Carell.
And the latest to be announced is one that comes from Australia, is produced by Amazon Prime Video and has a feature that clearly sets it apart from the rest: it stars a woman. Felicity Ward will play Hannah Howardthe counterpart to David Brent in the South Country.
Ward will play the office manager of a parcel company called Flinley Craddick, who has just heard the news that the higher-ups are going to shut down her department and make everyone work from home. She will go into “survival mode” making promises he can’t keep in order to keep the “work family” together.
Australian Brent
They will also be in the cast Edith Poor, Steen Raskopoulos, Shari Sebbens, Josh Thomson, Jonny Brugh, Pallavi Sharda, Susan Ling Young, Raj Labade, Lucy Schmit, and Firass Dirani. Gervais has stated about the series that he is excited to see how a “David Brent” fits into today:
“I’m very excited about Australia remaking my little turn of the century series. Office politics have changed quite a bit in 20 years, so I can’t wait to see how a modern-day David Brent navigates it.”
At the moment we know that this new version (the fourteenth, if the accounts do not fail us) of ‘The Office’ will arrive worldwide in 2024 via Prime Video, consisting of a first season of eight episodes that will begin filming this coming June.
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