eOne Snaps Up Licensing Rights for The Office Follow-Up

LONDON: Entertainment One (eOne) has clinched the worldwide licensing rights for David Brent: Life on the Road, a film follow-up to Ricky Gervais’ hit comedy The Office.

eOne will be charged with looking to sign partners across apparel and accessories, home and giftware, stationery, greetings and novelty toys. It will also use its fully integrated marketing support for the film’s release, slated for August 2016. The company handles international sales on the film and is also directly distributing it in the U.K., Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Spain and Benelux.

BBC Films co-produced the title with eOne. Directed, written by and starring Gervais, the film sees a documentary crew catching up with the titular character as he chases his dream of rock stardom. The Office first aired in 2001 and has since been remade in nine countries and broadcast in 90 markets around the world.

Hannah Mungo, the head of U.K. licensing at eOne, said: “With Ricky Gervais at the helm and back in the role that made him a household name, David Brent: Life on the Road looks set to be the hit movie of next summer and we’re absolutely thrilled to be handling the worldwide licensing rights. We’re committed to assembling a global consumer-products program that taps into that huge fan base and we look forward to sharing details with our partners in due course.”