A reboot of The Office is in development. Since the conclusion of the influential comedy series centered around Dunder Mifflin workers in 2013, there have been questions about whether the show could be revived in some form in the future. However, despite occasional rumors and positive statements from the original cast or crew, nothing has actually been revealed… until now.
Through its newsletter weekly in Puck News, Matthew Belloni spoke about the reality that Hollywood will face once the Writers Guild ratifies his new contract with the studios. Referring to the high-profile projects that will be announced as soon as the strike is officially lifted, the veteran journalist dropped the following bombshell: “Greg Daniels is ready to make a reboot of The Office”. Of course, there are still no details on the treatment of this reboot or the possible casting.
Daniels was the creator, director, screenwriter and producer of the successful American version of The Officein turn inspired by the British series of the same name by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, which has more than a dozen adaptations around the world.
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Released in 2005, The Office eventually became a Show of cult. Emulating the format of mockumentary Just like the original series, here Michael Scott, regional manager of Dunder Mifflin, guides a team of documentary filmmakers through a politically incorrect portrait of the world of work and the private lives of the staff involved with this paper sales company.
What could we expect from a reboot? This is what Daniels responded when The Hollywood Reporter asked him about the possibility of a reboot of The Office in 2022:
“When people hear ‘reboot’, they think it’s the exact same show. I don’t think that will work. I also believe that the content was intended for that time period, when people weren’t as sensitive about what offended people, so you could have a boss who kept screwing up. You could feel that the content was helping people see things as offensive that maybe they hadn’t seen as offensive before, because they were just used to it. Now, everyone is much more aware of how offensive certain things are. We are in a different place in the awareness cycle”.
In that sense, he was subsequently asked if a sitcom with a character like Michael Scott at the center. The creative’s response was blunt: “I don’t think you would do it. The part I would take is the documentary format and the idea that it is an examination from the perspective of a documentary filmmaker. I wouldn’t try to remake [The Office]”.
The American version of The Office is available on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and Paramount Plus.