Spaced being remade for US (like The Office)

[demi]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ie25482ef248abb489087a1676aaa2e50

Fox is teaming with writer Adam Barr and producer McG for "Spaced," a comedy project based on the Channel 4 series of the same name from "Shaun of the Dead" masterminds Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright.

Fox has handed out a put pilot commitment to the single-camera "Spaced," which hails from Warner Bros. TV, McG's WBTV-based Wonderland Sound and Vision and Granada America, which owns the format.

The project revolves around two strangers who pose as a married couple in order to rent an apartment.

"Will & Grace" alum Barr is writing the script for "Spaced," which garnered interest from several networks. He is exec producing with Wonderland's McG and Peter Johnson and Granada's Robert Green.

The original series, which ran on Channel 4 for two seasons, was written by Pegg and Jessica Hynes who starred as the fake couple, and was directed by Wright. It earned two BAFTA nominations for best comedy series and an International Emmy nomination.
 

"Spaced" reunites McG and Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly, who worked together on "Chuck" last season when Reilly was entertainment president at NBC. It also brings McG back to Fox, where he exec produced teen soap "The O.C."

For his seven-year stint on "Grace," Barr won a best comedy series Emmy in 2000 as part of the show's producing team. The past two years, he worked on the WBTV-produced comedy "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

Barr and McG are repped by Endeavor and attorney David Weber. McG is managed by Management 360. Granada is repped by ICM.

From Edgar Wright himself:

"Wonderland's McG and Granada's Robert Green will exec produce alongside Barr; the extent of Pegg's and Wright's involvement is still unclear. But Johnson likens the effort to NBC's adaptation of Ricky Gervais' and Stephen Merchant's "The Office" for the U.S., with Greg Daniels in charge."

The interesting part of that is, no-one has been in touch with me at all. Haven't deigned to get in contact. So my involvement is indeed very unclear.

Would love to know what you all have to say about it.

P.S. I can confirm too, that Simon was never contacted either. I don't really want to get involved at all, but it infuriates me that they would a) never bother to get in touch but still b) splash me and Simon's names all over the trade announcements and infer that we're involved in the same way Ricky & Steve were with The Office.

Also, it's worth stressing that I will not be profiting from this reversion, nor do they have to get permission from me to make it.

[Gay Boy]

If this means that the show will become known well enough to pay for the music rights for BBC America to bring over th dvd. Then bring it on.

[Himu]

Hell yea

[hyp]

is this good or bad news to you, demi?

[demi]

is this good or bad news to you, demi?

I think it's hilarious, nobody can compare to the original, Spaced > The Office

I'm more curious who plays Nick.

[hyp]

john goodman

[border]

Really not the type of show that can stand to have 22-episode seasons.  The BBC show only had 12 episodes and even then it felt a little narratively stretched.

Also, the suggestion that Spaced is better than The Office (either version) strikes me as somewhat daft.

[demi]

More of a statement

[Bloodwake]

This is going to fail epicly

[ferrarimanf355]

This is going to fail epicly

Well, lightning can't strike twice, I suppose...

[brawndolicious]

yeah, unless it has the same characters (and actors) then I can't see it being good at all.

[Saint Cornelius]

Kind of missing the point of a US remake, aren't you Nintenho?

[brawndolicious]

I kind of can't see what you can remake about the concept.

[brawndolicious]

the best episode of spaced was

unspoiler if you saw every episode

spoiler (click to show/hide)

when they get into an imaginary gunfight with those teens that they gave oregano to smoke instead of weed.

[close]

[Gay Boy]

Surely the rise of Nick and Simon would help generate some interest?

Eh, nick is still a cult figure not known by many. Pegg is all hollywood now though.

[border]

is the US so stunted that they can't just import the "foreign" version and run that?

There's only 12 episodes, and each one is so long that they'd probably have to be edited for time.  Not worth it for a US TV network.

My main issue with Spaced just seemed rooted in my annoyance with people who insist that geek humor is somehow better humor.  Take away the geek elements and it feels like a pretty standard sitcom though, mostly populated by ridiculous cartoon characters.

[brawndolicious]

well it was also the delivery of the geek humor that made it funny.  if you got the jokes, it was very funny.  and that techno guy is awesome, you have to admit.