EXCLUSIVE: After the coronavirus pandemic, many people decided the office was no longer for them, but not Felicity Ward or her new alter ego Hannah Howard. Comedian and actress Ward is starring in The Office Australia, one of the most anticipated series outside the United States, where she plays the iconic (Miss) Manager role first made famous by Ricky Gervais on the BBC. This is the first time a woman has played the role.
Sarah Christie, senior development executive at Amazon MGM Studios in Australia, is working on The Office for the Prime Video streaming service and recognizes the weight of expectations and the need to try something new. “This is a huge, iconic IP,” she told Deadline. The challenge is considerable, with NBC’s Michael Scott joining Gervais’ David Brent in the history of television comedy, and other performers in countries as far away as Germany and Chile.
“We want to honor our heritage but offer something distinctly Australian and add a local flavour,” Christie says. “There have been 14 versions of ‘The Office,’ and we’re the first where the boss is a woman…and she’s just as flawed, as worthy, and as loving as she is in the other versions.” .”
The series, which is being produced by Amazon in collaboration with Australia and New Zealand’s BBC Studios and Bunya Entertainment, has already finished filming and a release date is expected to be announced later this year. “Felicity Ward is just phenomenal and I can’t wait for people to meet her Hannah,” Sydney-based Christie said. “She gave her all to this role.”
Plot details are being kept secret, but the effects of the pandemic are reflected in the script. “We have a legacy in Ricky Gervais’ original series that everyone loves and respects around the world, and we’re perfectly placed to build on that,” Christie said.
“The office itself has changed a lot over the past five years, but that was our starting point. Is the office a place people want to be anymore? Hannah wanted to prove to her staff that this was the case. Head office wants to send everyone home to save costs, but she says “absolutely not” and wants everyone to work full time. She loves her staff and wants to bring them together. ”
Christie added that the series will “focus on characters you’ll recognize, some of which we’ve created.” The ensemble cast includes Edith Poore, Steen Raskopoulos, Shari Sebbens, Josh Thomson, Johnny Blue, Pallavi Sharda, and Susan Lynn Young.
Prime Video’s Australian ambitions
The Office Australia is just one of many original series and films coming out of Amazon Australia’s production operations. Earlier this week, Prime Video revealed it had ordered a second season of the comedy crime drama Deadlock, starring Madeleine Sami and Kate Box as a pair of mismatched detectives. The second installment takes place in Australia’s Northern Territory, where two famous local icons are found dead in a remote town, sparking a new and “sweatier, stickier” investigation. Nina Oyama and Alicia Gardiner will also reprise their roles from season 1.
The series, by the Australian writing duo (Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan) known as ‘The Cates’, was initially pitched to Amazon as ‘Funny Broadchurch’, with Season 1 starring Olivia Colman and a Scandinavian character resembling David. Incorporating noir metaphors. ITV’s Tennant Drama. Season 2 of Deadlock “takes its vibe from Australian classics like Crocodile Dundee with a gothic twist,” Christie said.
He added: “The Kates know what they’re talking about, but they’re also able to deliver a highly entertaining show while also getting to the heart of themes like race, gender and power.” “It’s telling that they’re coming out of comedy writing and sketch shows at first and venturing into a bigger world and balancing that with a fascinating mystery. It’s tonally very It’s a delicate balance, and it’s something we discussed from the scripting stage of Season 1 until final delivery.”
Season two is set to launch next year and the show is produced by Guesswork Television and OK Great Productions, with support from Screen Queensland and Screen Territory.
Mr Christie said the show was an example of how local Australian stories could penetrate internationally. “Our shows are seen in 240 territories around the world, and this is a tremendous opportunity for local creators,” she added. “We truly believe that to succeed globally, you must first speak locally.
“We have to speak directly to Australians. Deadlock is a great example of this. We had to create a dictionary of local Australian slang for our posting team. There are quite a few There is a “c-bomb” and there is an Australian town that we Australians want to see. But great stories can be told. ”
There’s been a lot of debate in recent years about whether Australia is being used primarily as a production hub rather than a creative hub by global streamers (this week, Screen Producers of Australia announced that while increasing location offsets, streamers criticized the government for delaying the establishment of a levy on the country (mainly designed to attract foreign productions).
The fact that Deadlock is Prime Video’s 30th commission in the past five years (which averages about six productions a year) shows that Amazon is doing its part for this country, at least for the time being. Suggests. His previous credits include the Sarah Lambert miniseries Alice Hart’s Lost Flowers, the Caitlin Stacy comedy series Class of 07, and the Nathan Ramos Park and Xuan Hu romantic comedy The Five. “Blind Date” has been ordered.
“We don’t work to meet (a quota); we’re really driven by the material,” Christie said. “We are hand-picked and want to bring the full power of the studio to everything we do. Creative partnerships are the real key to our success. We have such an abundance of talent in Australia. We’re lucky to work with some of the best producers, writers and directors around. We think about it holistically – quality over quantity. to create something for everyone.”
Christie certainly knows what the local industry likes. In addition to being involved in all creative aspects of development, production, and post-production at Amazon, he was co-producer on Stan and Sundance Now’s “Black Snow,” SBS’s “New Gold Mountain,” Unjoo Moon’s “I Am She has also worked on projects such as ‘Woman’ and Foxtel’s ‘Fighting Season’. , Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade (produced with Blumhouse), ABC and Sunance are airing Cleverman and Neil Armfield’s Holding the Man. She began her career as an entertainment attorney at Media Arts Lawyers, where she also served as a development producer on James Vaughn’s debut feature film Friends and Strangers.
Another upcoming series is Top End Babs, a TV spin-off of the 2019 rom-com Top End Wedding, which has just finished filming in Darwin and Adelaide. Miranda Tapsell, who is also a co-writer, reprises her role in the film alongside her on-screen husband Gwilym Lee. After their marriage in the film, Lauren (Tapsell), an energetic Indigenous lawyer, and her baker husband Ned (Lee) move to the city to support Lauren’s eight newly orphaned children. He gave up his life and moved to the Top End (the local name for Australia’s Northern Territory). – year old niece.
“This is a quintessentially Australian story, filled with so much warmth, heart and humour,” said Christie, who previously worked at show producer Goalpost Pictures and was an executive on Top End Wedding. said. “Almost the entire cast returned for the TV version, and it was great to see the band back together again. It looks beautiful, with the rushes highlighting the top end, and it’s very warm.”
Another hot topic is Sony’s war series “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” starring Jacob Elordi of “Euphoria.” Set in the shadow of World War II, this drama tells the epic story of Lt. Col. Dorigo Evans (Elordi) and how his all-too-brief romance with Amy Mulvaney (Odessa Young) changes his life. I am drawing how it was shaped. The story is told across multiple time periods, offering a love story that sustains viewers through the darkest of times, an intimate character portrait that shows the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity, and an exploration of marriage and unforgettable romance. Provide. .
“We just finished production,” Christie revealed. “It’s talented across the board, and Jacob Elordi is great in it. It’s a meaty role, and it’s an epic story. Again, this is a very clever approach to television.”
As for whether Prime Video Australia would be interested in co-producing, Christie said “Narrow Road” and “Top End Bub” will be sold internationally with Amazon retaining the Australian rights, while “Deadloch” will be sold internationally. He pointed out that it will be rolled out in all regions. “We create the model that best fits,” she added.
Would Hannah Howard take the same approach in a chaotic office?
