When the original UK version of "The Office" concluded in 2003, it stood tall as one of the finest comedies ever made for TV. It was pitch perfect, utterly hilarious, completely relatable, and more emotionally complex than it might appear on the surface. The show made the careers of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and become a huge export, not only launching the very successful US version of the show, but also iterations in territories all around the world. However, Gervais couldn’t resist revisiting David Brent. Last year, he revived his signature oafish office pest creation for a ten-minute short and music video, and now the character is going to the multiplex.
BBC Films has announced that the David Brent movie, "Life On The Road," will go into production next year. Gervais will reprise his role as the sales manager, now working for a cleaning products company. However, Brent still dreams of making it big in show business, and the film will follow his self-funded UK tour. Seems like a good premise, but the question is how much more there is to wring out of David Brent, the sad sack dreamer whose ambitions perpetually outreach his talent.
No release date, but below, you can watch the short, "The Return Of David Brent." [Digital Spy]