David Brent: Life on the Road"
(Via Entertainment One)

Ricky Gervais ushered in a new era of uncomfortable television comedy with the original British version of “The Office.” The comedian will reprise his role as the creepy boss in “David Brent: Life on the Road” — and the rights to the film have been acquired by Netflix.

Netflix announced in a news release Thursday that it nabbed the U.S. and select international rights to the film. A theatrical release is set for August and Netflix will stream the movie in 2017.

“Life on the Road” sees a documentary crew catching up with the David Brent 12 years after the BBC2 documentary “The Office.” Brent is now a traveling salesman, chasing his dream of rock stardom by self-financing a UK tour with his band, Foregone Conclusion, according to Netflix.

“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,”said Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer. “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.

Gervais called Netflix the “perfect platform.”

“I’m so glad the mighty Netflix have once again outbid all competitors in North America to show my movie exclusively,” Gervais said. “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!”

A trailer for the film features all of the discomfort fans of “The Office” came to know and love, even as it extended to the American version of the show starring Steve Carell.

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