Welcome back to Dunder Mifflin. . . with a bend.
An Australian version of The Office is in production, but this time, as an alternative of being led by Michael Scott, boss Hannah Howard (played by Felicity Ward) might be in charge.
The American version of the hit, aired from 2005 to 2013, was a mockumentary about the bizarre employees of a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania, led by Blowhard Scott (Steve Carell).
The original UK version, which aired from 2001 to 2003, was directed by David Brent (Ricky Gervais).
Now put Scott and Brent aside – a woman could be an obnoxious, incompetent boss too.
“I’m very excited to have Australia remake my little turn of the century show” – Gervais Variety said. “Office politics have modified quite a bit in the last 20 years, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they take care of the modern David Brent.”
In the Down Under version, Howard might be the managing director of a packaging company called Flinley Craddick. After COVID-19, she has to take care of the news that her branch is closing and her employees can have to do business from home. This sends her into outrageous schemes to maintain her “work family” together.
This might be the thirteenth adaptation of the hit comedy, which has also had different versions in France and Israel.
While the American version of the show is widely considered a hit — it has had a second life in streaming, attracting a new generation and countless memes — it has had a rough start.
In response to the book “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of ‘The Office'” by Brian Baumgartner (who played Kevin Malone) and Ben Silverman (executive producer), when Carell told Paul Rudd that he was auditioning for the American version of “The Office Rudd advised him, “Ugh, don’t do it. Bad, bad move. I mean, it’ll never be that good [as the British version]”.
In the same book, series star John Krasinski recalled that an NBC executive would come in and tell the solid about the show’s imminent cancellation.
“He said, ‘This might be the last one [episode] … It just doesn’t get rankings and the network doesn’t understand it. He said that each week of the first season,'” recalls Krasinski.
Greater than a decade later, they’ve the last laugh because the show has already gone on long enough to alter the gender of Michael Scott’s character.
Along with Ward, Shari Sebbens (“Thor: Love and Thunder”), Edith Poor (“The Power of the Dog”) and Jonny Brugh (“What We Do in the Shadows”) may even star in the Australian version of the series. “), Steen Raskopoulos (“The Duchess”), Josh Thomson (“Young Rock”) and Pallavi Sharda (“The Twelve”).
The Australian version of “The Office” will stream on Prime Video at an unannounced date in 2024.