The Office is receiving another international spin with the announcement of an Australian version.
A new series based in Australia will follow a female’modern-day David Brent’ two decades after Ricky Gervais’ mockumentary originally aired and a decade after the US version finished.
Felicity Ward (Wakefield, The Inbetweeners 2) will play Hannah Howard, the general director of the packaging business Flinley Craddick.
In a post-COVID storyline twist, Hannah learns from central office that her branch will be closing and that employees would be required to work from home.
So she goes into survival mode, making promises she can’t make and hatching ridiculous schemes to keep her ‘work family’ together.
When sharing the news on social media, Felicity wrote: ‘OMFG. Absolutely cannot believe it.’
Edith Poor (The Power of the Dog), Steen Raskopoulos (The Duchess), Sharbens (Thor: Love and Thunder), Josh Thomson (Young Rock), Jonny Brugh (What We Do in the Shadows), Pallavi Sharda (The Twelve), Firass Dirani (Underbelly), Susan Ling Young (Hungry Ghosts), Raj Labade, and Lucy Schmit will also appear.
The eight-part series will begin filming in Sydney next month, with the show premiering globally on Prime Video next year.
The show also has the full backing of co-creator Ricky Gervais, who portrayed David for two seasons in 2002 and 2003.
‘I’m very excited about Australia remaking my little show from the turn of the century,’ he said.
‘Office politics have changed a bit in 20 years, so can’t wait to see how they navigate a modern-day David Brent.’
The Australian adaption is the 13th installment of the programme developed by Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
Other foreign spin-offs have taken place in France, Germany, Greece, Chile, India, and Sweden in the years after its introduction.
The US version starred Steve Carell and elevated the careers of John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fisher, BJ Novak, Mindy Kaling, and Ed Helms.
The Office Australia will be streaming on Prime Video in 2024.
