'The Office' Gets Female-Led Remake

The Office is getting a female-led remake, courtesy of Prime Video Australia. Deadline reports that the streaming series is mounting a new version of the beloved BBC series, which will star stand-up comedian Felicity Ward. In the new series, Ward will play Hannah Howard, the quirky manager of Flinley Craddick, a packaging company. 

"When she gets news from Head Office that they will be shutting down her branch and making everyone work from home, she goes into survival mode, making promises she can't keep in order to keep her 'work family' together," reads a synopsis of the series. "We are thrilled to be bringing one of the biggest comedy franchises ever made to Prime Video customers in Australia and around the world," said Sarah Christie, Senior Development Executive Prime Video Australia. "It is an honour to continue the international comedy legacy of The Office locally while introducing new, quintessentially Australian characters. We can't wait for audiences to meet Hannah Howard, the first female boss The Office format has explored."

Gervais, who both starred in and co-created the original BBC series — with Stephen Merchant — also issued a statement. "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."

Last year, PopCulture.com had a chance to speak with actor Rainn Wilson, who stated as Dwight Schrute in the U.S. remake of The Office. The show ran for nine seasons on NBC and is often considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. During our conversation, we asked about his feelings on the show's legacy and the idea of a spinoff or reboot. 

"You know, we've spoken here and there about like, would it be fun to do something with Dwight," Wilson said. "I don't know about like anything in Dunder Mifflin land, and I just keep thinking it would be really fun, but at the same time, The Office is like this perfect gym, 200 episodes. Granted, maybe there's a dozen that weren't so great. But the greatness of the show in totality is extraordinary and it holds up, it has new legions of fans."

He continued, "I just talked to my friend in Iceland, his nine-year-old daughter in the backseat of his car in Iceland has watched the show five times, in Iceland. Like, it has an international appeal. And I guess for me, it's like, wow, we just created this perfect thing. Like, just leave it alone. Like, step away. Anything you attempt to do is only going to tarnish the kind of like reputation and legacy of the show."