Amazon MGM Studio’s Sarah Christie Updates On ‘The Office Australia,’ ‘Deadloch’ & Jacob Elordi In ‘The Narrow Road To The Deep North’
deadline.comEXCLUSIVE: Many people decided the office was no longer for them after the Covid-19 pandemic, but not so Felicity Ward, or her new alter-ego, Hannah Howard.
Comedian and actress Ward is starring in The Office Australia, one of the most hotly anticipated series outside of the U.S., marking the first time a woman has played the iconic (mis)manager role that Ricky Gervais first made famous on the BBC.
Sarah Christie, Senior Development Executive at Amazon MGM Studios, which is working on The Office Australia for the Prime Video Australia streaming service, is aware of the weight of expectation and the need to try something new. “It is huge, iconic IP,” she told Deadline.
With NBC’s Michael Scott joining Gervais’ David Brent in the annuals of TV comedy history, and other incarnations in countries as wide apart as Germany and Chile, the challenge is sizeable. “We want to honor the legacy but also provide something Australian to give it that local flavor,” said Christie. “There are 14 versions of The Office out there and we’re the first where the boss is a woman… And she is just as flawed, worthy and in love with herself as the other ones.” The series, which Amazon is making with BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand and Bunya Entertainment, has wrapped shooting, with a 2025 launch date announcement expected to come later this year. “Felicity Ward is just phenomenal, and we can’t wait for people to meet her Hannah,” said the Sydney-based Christie. “She’s brought her all to this role.” Details of the plot are being kept under wraps, but the impact of the pandemic plays into the scripts. “We have the wealth of the original series from Ricky Gervais that everyone loves and reveres around the world, and that’s a great starting
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