Middle Eastern company MBC Group has commissioned an Arabic-language adaptation of classic comedy show “The Office,” which is going to be broadcast later this year on MBC’s linear channels and also made available on its SVOD platform, Shahid VIP.
Produced by MBC Studios, with support from the BBC Studios international production team that licenses the format, the 20-part series will be renamed “Al Maktab” and produced by MBC Studios, with Egyptian filmmaker Hisham Fathi directing. The Middle Eastern version will be set in a courier services company, helmed by Malik Al-Tuwaif, the self-absorbed yet lovable boss played by Saleh Abuamrh.
The deal between BBC Studios and MBC will mark the 12th international sale of the format. Remakes have been made in Canada, Chile, France, India, and Poland, among others, and also in the United States, maybe the most successful of them all, with Steve Carrell as the main character. “The Office” was originally produced for UK pubcaster BBC Two in 2001, where it ran for two seasons and two Christmas specials.
“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 humour, and a boss that sometimes makes a fool of themselves, still rings just as true,” commented André Renaud, SVP of Format Sales for BBC Studios.
“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 is incredibly exciting for us to now be bringing the very first Arabic version of the comedy to MBC’s screens very soon,” added Zeinab Abul Alsamh, General Manager of MBC Studios.
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