Netflix has acquired U.S. and select international rights to Ricky Gervais’ upcoming film David Brent: Life on the Road, excluding the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. The film will premiere on Netflix in 2017.
In the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, the film will be receiving a saturation theatrical release by Entertainment One (eOne) this coming August.
The feature length film sees a documentary crew catching up with David Brent twelve years on from the BBC2 documentary “The Office.” Brent is now a travelling salesman, chasing his dream of rock stardom by self-financing a UK tour with his band, ‘Foregone Conclusion’.
“We are thrilled to welcome the iconic character of David Brent back to Netflix, as we were the home to the first digital deal for ‘The Office,’ starring Ricky Gervais. Our existing collaborations across series, for ‘Derek,’ and in film, with ‘Special Correspondents’ have been fruitful, and it’s only fitting for us to have Ricky’s upcoming feature film available to as many of our viewers as possible,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer.
“I’m so glad the mighty Netflix have once again outbid all competitors in North America to show my movie exclusively. It is the perfect platform for me, giving complete creative freedom and also millions of instant viewers who can watch again and again. I can’t wait for David Brent to follow it up with his US live tour!,” said Gervais.
“We are thrilled that Netflix has come on board to help us bring this beloved character to audiences,” said Steve Bertram, President, Global Film Group, Entertainment One. “We’re only a couple of months away from our event theatrical releases in the UK and Australian markets, and alongside David Brent’s many fans, we’re counting down the days for his exciting debut on the big screen.”
In addition to Gervais, the cast includes the multi-talented Ben Bailey Smith (“Midwinder of the Spirit,” “Law & Order”) as Dom, most recently seen rapping in Brent’s ‘Equality Street’ and writer/comedian Tom Basden (“Plebs,” “The Wrong Mans”) as Dan, Brent’s road manager. David Brent: Life on the Road sees the introduction of Brent’s new office colleagues including love-struck Pauline (Jo Hartley, “This is England ‘90,” Not Safe For Work), his ‘comedic’ partner in crime Nigel (Tom Bennett, “PhoneShop”), his office nemesis Jezza (Andrew Brooke, “PhoneShop,” “Babylon”) and his much needed Therapist (Nina Sosanya, Love Actually, “W1A”). Brent’s Drummer in his band ‘Foregone Conclusion’ is the incredibly talented Andy Burrows of Razorlight and We Are Scientists fame.
The cast also includes Kevin Bishop (“The Kevin Bishop Show”), award winning Roisin Conaty (“Impractical Jokers UK”), Diane Morgan (“Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe”), Ashley McGuire (“Derek,” “Miranda”) and introducing Alexander Arnold (“Skins,” “Poldark”) and Mandeep Dhillon (“24: Live Another Day,” Some Girls).
David Brent: Life on the Road is a LOTR Films Ltd production, co-financed by eOne and BBC Films. The film is executive produced by Duncan Hayes, Christine Langan and Alex Hamilton, produced by Charlie Hanson (Cemetery Junction, “Derek,” “Extras”) and co-produced by Katie Mavroleon (“Marley’s Ghosts,” “Pompidou”).
