Ricky Gervais’ ‘The Office’ Gets a Mexican Remake (EXCLUSIVE)

Ricky Gervais’ career-launching mockumentary series “The Office” is getting a Mexican remake with Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios and Gary “Gaz” Alazraki’s Máquina Vega leading the charge.

Alazraki, who proved his comedy chops directing and producing major hits “Nosotros los Nobles” and “Club de Cuervos” serves as director and executive producer of “La Oficina” while Marcos Bucay (“Cómo Sobrevivir Soltero”) showruns the Mexican adaptation.

As part of the overall deal signed between Amazon MGM Studios and Máquina Vega, “La Oficina” will be available exclusively on Prime Video in Latin America, Brazil and Spain.

The wildly popular BBC Studios format has already been adapted in the U.S., France, Chile and Poland, among others, in addition to the Australian version, which begun streaming on Prime Video this October.

This new version is set in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes where the office will be led by Jerónimo Ponce III, regional manager of the family business Jabones Olimpo (Olimpo Soaps). The office staff will have to grapple with working in a family business where the boss just isn’t cut out to lead.

“It’s really exciting to do our own version of one of the most successful comedies of all time. The Mexican office worker subculture is one of the richest and most surreal in the world, and with Marcos Bucay and Gaz Alazraki, the two most successful comedy creators in the country, we know we have something unique that will surpass all expectations and leave fans of previous versions speechless,” said Alonso Aguilar, head of Mexico Originals at Amazon Studios.

“For over 20 years, multiple versions of ‘The Office’ have captivated audiences worldwide, and it’s exciting that Prime Video viewers in Latin America will now get to meet the Mexican version of David Brent with Jerónimo Ponce III stepping into the spotlight as the boss we hate to love,” said André Renaud, SVP global format sales at BBC Studios.

This would be the second Spanish-language version of the hit series. Chile’s Canal 13 adapted it some years back with the title, “La Ofis.”

The U.S. version starring Steve Carell and John Krasinski ran for nine seasons between 2005-2013, snagging five Emmys and multiple nominations.

“I’ve wanted to adapt ‘The Office’ since I bought the Ricky Gervais DVDs in 2003. Everything about the humor and the format makes me consider it the bravest comedy I’ve ever seen,” said Alazraki, thanking his partner Bucay who he first “admired since all his videoclips (‘Quiero ir al antro,’ ‘Chip Torres,’ among others) became viral sensations.”

“I thank Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant for trusting us with their baby and there is no better partner than Prime Video to try to make all of Mexico laugh about the work experience in our country,” he added.

“Doing the Mexican version of ‘The Office’ is a dream, since it was precisely thanks to the original series, ‘The Office,’ that I decided to write comedy,” said Bucay, adding: “This series is a celebration of Mexican office culture and will be a pleasant surprise, as we have managed to take the format of ‘The Office’ and really make it for Mexicans.”

Bucay is the creator of the HBO Max show “VGLY,” and also wrote the Emmy-nominated series “Club de Cuervos,” among other notable credits. In 2009, he founded La Gran Royal, which is responsible for such viral hits as “Colibritany,” “Fer y Santi” and “Chip Torres,” with over 300 million views. He currently leads Happy Shop Studio, a creative hub and production company for comedy formats.

Alazraki helmed the U.S. Hispanic remake of “Father of the Bride,” starring Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan and Diego Boneta, with Plan B producing. It drew HBO Max’s biggest audience to date for a title created exclusively for streaming. The third season of “Club de Cuervos” was nominated for an International Emmy Award.

Founded in early 2024, with offices in Los Angeles and Mexico City, Máquina Vega has served as a bridge between the English and Spanish-speaking worlds for scripted and unscripted film and television. They are also production service providers in Mexico and across Latin America.

They are currently in post on Mark Alazraki’s “Bienvenidos a la familia” with Netflix; in production on “Bodas” with Erik Zuckerman and Jorge Terán at ViX and in post on the documentary “Billy Meier” with Miguel Leon directing and Julio Rojas writing.

They are also preparing to distribute the film “Club Perfecto,” Ricardo Castro’s cinematic debut in collaboration with Edge Films for ViX, soon to screen at the Austin Film Festival.