It’s been a while since the world checked in on David Brent, the self-described star of the documentary series The Office. Of course, we all know that Brent doesn’t exist and that his documentary was actually a mockumentary television series that aired in the U.K. and spawned remakes worldwide.
Those series, along with reruns and the occasional one-off pieces, helped keep the original version alive in people’s minds, and now David Brent: Life on the Road is here to catch us up on Brent’s life. Or, more accurately, we get to know what Ricky Gervais imagines happened to Brent in the ensuing years, because none of this is real and the whole thing is kind of weird when you start to think about it.
Gervais should have no problem channeling the beloved weirdo, having created, written, directed, and stared as the character for the original series. However, notably missing from the movie’s credits is co-creator/writer/director Stephen Merchant, who was Gervais’s longtime comedy partner. Missing half the voice of the original series could lead the movie to be something slightly different than what ardent fans might want, and thirteen years on, ardent fans are probably going to be the main audience for this film.
I can’t tell you if the movie looks dramatically different than the original series, because I’ve never seen a single episode of any iteration of The Office. Obviously, the movie does not take place in an office, but instead sees Brent as the bumbling leader of a band in lieu of uninterested employees. To me, that seems similar enough to appease fans. Considering how beloved the series is, I’m hoping Gervais doesn’t misstep and piss off a ton of people.
David Brent: Life on the Road is directed by Ricky Gervais and stars Ricky Gervais and Doc Brown. It will be released in theaters in the U.K. on August 19th, 2016 and will be released in the U.S. on Netflix sometime in 2017. For international release dates, click here.
Do you think Gervais will pull off the movie without Merchant? Let us know in the comments!
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