Australian comedian Felicity Ward will play Hannah Howard, the managing director of packaging company Flinley Craddick, the Aussie version of Brent, known as Michael Scott in the hit US series, according to British broadcaster the BBC. Since its debut in 2001, “The Office” has won multiple awards and inspired local versions in countries including Chile, Israel, India, and Poland. The Australian series is the 13th adaption and the first to cast a woman in the lead role.
” She has also performed at comedy festivals and tweeted Thursday that she’d been keeping her new role secret for four months. The Australian edition is co-produced by BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand, Bunya Entertainment, and Amazon Studios. Production begins in Sydney in June and filming is expected to take eight weeks. In a statement, Gervais, who co-created “The Office” with Stephen Merchant said he was excited about the Australian version.