A remake of the comedic show “The Office” will be led by a female boss.
In the Australian version of “The Office,” actor Felicity Ward will play the role of Hannah Howard, the manager “of packaging company Flinley Craddick,” instead of the fictional character Michael Scott, who was played by actor Steve Carrell in the American version, according to Variety.
Comedian Ricky Gervais, who created and starred in the original British sitcom, gave his stamp of approval.
“I’m very excited about Australia remaking my little show from the turn of the century,” Gervais told Variety.
He said he was eagerly anticipating how the new show intends to bring his original character to life.
“Office politics have changed a bit in 20 years, so can’t wait to see how they navigate a modern-day David Brent,” he continued.
“The Office” comedy franchise will see middle management led by a woman for the first time in a new Australian remake. https://t.co/wJ8ce0Ju8v
— Variety (@Variety) May 31, 2023
According to the show’s plot summary, “The Office” is a “mockumentary about life in a mid-sized suboffice paper merchants in a bleak British industrial town, where manager David Brent thinks he’s the coolest, funniest, and most popular boss ever. He isn’t,” per IMDB.com.
In an interview with The Guardian, Gervais got candid about his time on the show.
“I enjoyed every moment of it,” he said. “I enjoyed the result and I enjoyed the pride. I also realised (sic) in retrospect that I didn’t enjoy all those things because of how good I thought it had turned out.”
He also admitted he enjoyed the challenge of taking part in the show.
In a 2017 post on Gervais’s Facebook page, he explained why “the fake documentary element was absolutely essential” for the show.
“It reminded us why everyone was acting the way they did. He (David Brent) heightened consequences, and above all, it made the audience connect,” he said.