‘Al Maktab’ – The Saudi Version of ‘The Office’ Is Under Process
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Hashim Sheikh
- . May 31, 2022
- . Update: May 31, 2022 9:29 pm
The award-winning British comedy series “The Office” will be recreated for the first time in Arabic by BBC Studios and MBC Studios in Dubai.
The Arabic remake of the Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant-directed sitcom, titled “Al Maktab,” will be scheduled in Saudi Arabia. Egyptian director Hisham Fathi will direct the 20-episode series, with Alessandro Martella serving as director of photography.
Cast of ‘Al Maktab’ (The Office)
‘Al Maktab’ is set at a courier company and features a self-obsessed boss Malik Al-Tuwaifi. The character is played by Saleh Abuamrh. Fahad Albutairi, Nawaf Alshobaili, Saad Aziz, Adhwa Fahad, Razan Mansour, Reem Busati, and Hisham Hawsawi are among the local actors who have joined the cast.
Streaming of The Series
The MBC Studios original will begin production in June and will air on MBC’s TV networks as well as broadcast on its Shahid VIP streaming platform at the end of the year.
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Official Statements from The Team
André Renaud, SVP Format Sales for BBC Studios said in a statement, “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.”
He expected a good response from the audience and said, “I’m sure audiences in the Middle East and the Gulf will take Malik and his team to their hearts as much as audiences did with David Brent in the UK over twenty years ago.”
Zeinab Abul Alsamh, the general manager of MBC Studios KSA said, “Al Maktab features a very talented cast from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond who will bring the stories of this eccentric group of colleagues and their boss to life, reimagined for Middle Eastern and Gulf audiences for the first time. It’s definitely one for the history books.”
International Remakes of ‘The Office’ Series
Following the United States, Canada, Chile, France, India, and, most recently, Poland, “Al Maktab” is the 12th internationally recreated version of “The Office” series. The upcoming show is the most recent Arabic version of a successful English television series. In April, an Arabic remake of the smash-hit legal drama “Suits” premiered.
