World-renowned TV show ‘The Office’ is getting an Arabic remake in a partnership between MBC and BBC Studios.
Winners of both the BAFTA and Golden Globe awards, the remake is expected bring the mockumentary-style comedy series to homes in the Arab world.
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Titled ‘Al Maktab’, filming for the show is scheduled to begin in June 2022, and is set to be directed by Egyptian filmmaker Hisham Fathi, with Alessandro Martella as director of photography and Shadi Mcdad as producer.
“Audiences around the world, including in the MENA region, are no strangers to ‘The Office’, and given its huge success over the past two decades, it’s incredibly exciting for us to now be bringing the very first Arabic version of the comedy to MBC’s screens very soon,” said Zeinab Abul Alsamh, General Manager of MBC Studios KSA.
While the original show, written and directed by British comedians Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, was set in a paper company, the Saudi adaptation will be set in a courier services company, with the main character played by Saleh Abuamrh, who plays Malik al-Tuwaifi, the self-absorbed yet loveable boss.
“Although office working may look slightly different for many of us in 2022, the familiarity of these well-observed characters as they navigate petty rivalries, moments of friendship and humor, and a boss that sometimes makes a fool of themselves still rings just as true,” said André Renaud, SVP Format Sales for BBC Studios in a statement.
Abuamrh will be support by Fahad Albutairi, Nawaf Alshobaili, Saad Aziz, Adhwa Fahad, Razan Mansour, Reem Busati, and Hisham Hawsawi.
The twenty-part series will broadcast on MBC’s TV channels, and OTT streaming platform Shahid VIP.
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