The Office, one of the finest shows to ever grace our screens, is getting a female-led reboot in Australia - and the cast has been announced.
The Office came from the brain of Ricky Gervais, with the show first popping up in the UK in 2001 as the unloveable boss David Brent made us cringe for our lives.
Following a short but incredibly successful run in the UK, the US version was announced and it could be argued that it's one of the most popular shows of all time.
Michael Scott, although incredibly cringeworthy, was undoubtedly more loveable than his British counterpart, and the likes of Jim, Dwight, and Pam really made the show something special.
In case you need a reminder about The Office:Considering the US remake was such a hit, it looks like Australia will be trying to follow in its footsteps by launching a female-led version.
According to the Guardian, the role of the hapless manager will be going to actress and comedian Felicity Ward, and she sure has big shoes to fill.
The show will launch in 2024 and will be co-produced by Amazon Studios, BBC Studios ANZ, and Bunya Entertainment.
Ward will be playing Hannah Howard, Australia's answer to David Brent and Michael Scott, and the setting will be a mundane packaging company called Flinley Craddick.
As cited by News.com.au, Gervais said in a statement: "I’m very excited about Australia remaking my little show from the turn of the century. Office politics have changed a bit in 20 years, so can’t wait to see how they navigate a modern-day David Brent."
The series is set to start filming in June and will take place in a post-Covid workplace that is being threatened by the company making everyone work from home.
In typical fashion, the boss doesn't like the idea of her work "family" being split up, so she does everything in her power to ensure they stay together.
Sophia Zachariou, producer and co-managing director of Bunya Entertainment, said via the Guardian: "To me, Wernham Hogg’s David Brent was a leading light in comedy. The Office UK made the mockumentary form available to a wide audience, and that was its sheer brilliance.
"I can only hope that global audiences find our Aussie take on The Office as funny, self-deprecating, and believable as those that have gone before it."
Other cast members include Shari Sebbens, Pallava Sharda, Firass Dirani, Lucy Schmidt, Steen Raskopoulos, Edith Poor, and Josh Thomas.
This is actually the 13th remake of The Office, with countries such as Israel, India, Canada, and France all having their own versions.
So beloved is the show that in 2019, streaming service Peacock paid $500 million to gain streaming rights for it. This was probably for the best as in 2020 it clocked 57 billion minutes watched on Netflix.
Anything that is related to The Office is sure to be a hilarious time, and we can't wait to see how Australia makes going to work into something incredibly funny.
Who knows, maybe we will even get to see more staplers in Jell-O.
