Prime Video is moving forward with another remake of The Office, with Michael Scott’s counterpart detailed. Although adaptations of the popular workplace comedy are nothing new, with the NBC hit itself an adaptation of the Ricky Gervais original, the latest Australian iteration of The Office has received a bigger spotlight and so far split reactions from both audiences and critics.
Now, Variety confirms that Prime Video is moving forward with a Mexican remake of The Office, which hails from Amazon MGM Studios. The project will be titled La Oficina and will be available in Latin America, Brazil, and Spain. The remake hails from Gary “Gaz” Alazraki, who will direct and executive produce. Marcos Bucay, meanwhile, serves as showrunner on the project that is part of the overall deal signed between Amazon MGM Studios and production company Máquina Vega.
La Oficina takes place in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes. There, the office will be led by Jerónimo Ponce III, who is the regional manager of the family business, Jabones Olimpo (Olimpo Soaps). The office staff must grapple with working in a family business where the boss isn’t cut out to lead.
Alonso Aguilar, head of Mexico Originals at Amazon Studios, reacted to the remake news in a statement:
“It’s really exciting to do our own version of one of the most successful comedies of all time. The Mexican office worker subculture is one of the richest and most surreal in the world, and with Marcos Bucay and Gaz Alazraki, the two most successful comedy creators in the country, we know we have something unique that will surpass all expectations and leave fans of previous versions speechless.”
Alazraki and Bucay both shared sentiments on the remake news below:
Alazraki: “I’ve wanted to adapt The Office since I bought the Ricky Gervais DVDs in 2003. Everything about the humor and the format makes me consider it the bravest comedy I’ve ever seen.”
“I thank Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant for trusting us with their baby and there is no better partner than Prime Video to try to make all of Mexico laugh about the work experience in our country.”
Bucay: “Doing the Mexican version of The Office is a dream, since it was precisely thanks to the original series, The Office, that I decided to write comedy. This series is a celebration of Mexican office culture and will be a pleasant surprise, as we have managed to take the format of The Office and really make it for Mexicans.”
What The Latest Remake Says About The Office
It Lends Itself To Remakes
The Mexican remake of The Office won’t be the first Spanish-language take on the seminal series. Canal 13 in Chile was adapted earlier with the title of La Ofis. There have also been other adaptations from all over the world, including shows from France, Saudi Arabia, Germany, South Africa, Sweden, and more. This generally speaks to the universality of the premise, which can be made specific but also retain its universal appeal.
Prime Video recently released The Office: Australia, which was developed by Julie De Fina and Jackie van Beek, and released all eight episodes on Prime Video on October 18. The new series centers on Felicity Ward as the franchise’s first-ever female lead, playing new boss Hannah Howard. The remake has attracted negative reviews from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, with Ward reacting to the negative response to The Office: Australia by saying in part:
With the American Office, this exact same thing happened 20 years ago. The American Office came out and people were mad. They were like, ‘You can’t touch this British legacy comedy, it’s an institution.’ And it is. For the first series [of the U.S. Office] they were using British scripts and then when they started writing their own stories, it’s turned into literally the most beloved comedy of all time.
There is also the fact that Ward is a woman in a lead role, which the actor also addresses. But the latest news confirms that Prime Video and associated studios see the value of extending the premise and trying it out in different locations. But the easy accessibility of streaming, versus local and regional TV channels, also means that these remakes now get a higher profile.
Our Take On The Latest Remake
NBC Is Also Revisiting The Office
A reboot of the U.S. version of The Office from the U.S. creator Greg Daniels is in the works, taking place at a dying newspaper. The latest remake is similarly accomplished, with Alazraki and Bucay having several Spanish-language credits to their names. While it may not have the same global reach as the American and British versions, the creative team seems poised to offer a worthwhile approach to a familiar premise.
