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Ricky Gervais plans David Brent: The Movie

Started by Nowhere Man, August 05, 2014, 03:12:26 PM

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MuteBanana

If this film is following on from his recent gigs it's hard to take the character seriously as a struggling artist when he's been playing large venues and sharing the stage with Coldplay, Susan Boyle and Lily Allen.

Nothing new here really. The film has been up on IMDB for ages with no other details apart from Gervais name.

Geoffrey

Quote from: Thomas on August 05, 2014, 04:35:36 PM
I was also glad that the caretaker, with his habit of staring at the camera, was never referenced in dialogue. Would have spoiled it.

Played by Merchant's Dad I believe..

BlodwynPig


Replies From View

Quote from: Geoffrey on August 05, 2014, 05:36:44 PM
Played by Merchant's Dad I believe..

That's right.  They mention it on the commentary for the second episode of the Christmas Special.

Glebe

Quote from: MuteBanana on August 05, 2014, 05:31:21 PM
If this film is following on from his recent gigs it's hard to take the character seriously as a struggling artist when he's been playing large venues and sharing the stage with Coldplay, Susan Boyle and Lily Allen.

Nothing new here really. The film has been up on IMDB for ages with no other details apart from Gervais name.

BRENT: Listen, I've played with Coldplay, Lily Allen... and, er, Susan Boyle, you know, the Scots one (looks at camera).

PROMOTER: Nah, nah, y'struggling! Get out!

AUDIENCE: Haha, pathos, innit.

Thomas

Quote from: MuteBanana on August 05, 2014, 05:31:21 PM
If this film is following on from his recent gigs it's hard to take the character seriously as a struggling artist when he's been playing large venues and sharing the stage with Coldplay, Susan Boyle and Lily Allen.

This bothers me, as regards to what is canonically 'true' for the character. Steve Coogan turning up in character as Alan Partridge at the Alpha Papa premiere left me sleepless for months.

BritishHobo

There's an interview where he talks about accepting the fictional premise of it failing, as opposed to the real, successful concerts, but I can't be arsed to find it. He said he'd be filming some of the performances in smaller, emptier venues to use in the actual film.

MuteBanana

#37
Quote from: Thomas on August 05, 2014, 06:47:58 PM
This bothers me, as regards to what is canonically 'true' for the character. Steve Coogan turning up in character as Alan Partridge at the Alpha Papa premiere left me sleepless for months.

Was there not this idea that the siege had been turned into a movie and Alan insisted on playing himself? That's most definitely my imagination.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: George Oscar Bluth II on August 05, 2014, 03:54:09 PM
Well yes. My point is more "this'll be shit I reckon" for that reason....

Ah okay - personally, I think that's the least of the problems; it's not as if everything they've touched is comedy gold!

Quote from: George Oscar Bluth II on August 05, 2014, 03:54:09 PM...I wonder what happened between the two of them. Merch was happily yukking it up in Life's Too Short just a couple of years ago.

Not sure if happily would be a word that I would use - IIRC, there was one radio interview that Merchant did to promote his tour and really didn't want to talk about the show,.

Quote from: olliebean on August 05, 2014, 03:59:01 PM
He (obviously Brent, but Gervais as well) is convinced he was the star of The Office, isn't he? It owed much of its success to the fact that it worked so well as an ensemble piece....

Yes, and a Front Row interview that he did for the second series made that very clear.

Quote from: olliebean on August 05, 2014, 03:59:01 PM..Sounds like this is going to be an extension of the Brent-on-the-road bits of The Office Christmas Specials, which to my mind were the least successful bits.

They were but it ended the show nicely - earlier, I has a quick look at the comments on The Guardian's story and I was struck by the amount of comments that this. As we've seen from certain shows (e.g. Only Fools and Horses) it's not always wise to go back when you've done a seemingly final ending.

Quote from: Geoffrey on August 05, 2014, 04:01:50 PM
"The brief suggests that the film may catch up with other Wernham Hogg employees seen in The Office, such as Brent's right hand man Gareth Keenan (MacKenzie Crook) or Tim Canterbury (Martin Freeman)."...

'May' is  often PR bullshit to whip up some positive news. If those people were attached we would know.

Quote from: Geoffrey on August 05, 2014, 04:01:50 PM...Hmmm not sure about that if Merchant isn't involved? As they aren't solely Gervais' characters to use.

checkoutgirl has put it nicely - also, the BBC has a say and this film is being funded by.... the BBC.

Quote from: checkoutgirl on August 05, 2014, 04:09:52 PM
I reckon they never really liked each other much and Merchant was biding his time for years to do his own thing. I'm sure there was a discussion at some point to let Ricky continue with Brent on his own because I'd say Merchant must have a controlling interest in the character. I don't recall there ever being any Brent stuff that Merchant wasn't involved with. I'd say Merchant just said that he was busy with other stuff and gave his blessing to Ricky to continue on with the character. No big dramatic argument, just banal life.
Yeah - I think that's pretty much it and as previously discussed it seemed to be very much a working relationship than one of mates... nothing wrong with that, of course.

Quote from: Jake Thingray on August 05, 2014, 04:34:03 PM
Even if this does happen, the thread on here about it, and Gervais' methods of promoting it, will be far more entertaining than the thing itself. If, as the last line in that Torygraph report claimed, it "will be filmed in the UK", presumably it'll be another chance for him to tell the American media how much Britain fails to recognise and promote success and talent.

Hee, probably.

SimonJT

I think Ricky and Steve were probably mates, on the radio Merchant was originally Gervais's sidekick, and that's a role people usually hire a friend to do.

Old Nehamkin

Just going to repost my official prediction about this from the Derek thread earlier this year for future reference:

Quote2016: Releases mockumentary film about David Brent going on tour. Mackenzie Crook makes a one-scene cameo, but no-one else from The Office is involved. It will feature that Doc Brown guy as Brent's straight-man sidekick and a handful of shoehorned celebrity cameos. It will have a contrived happy ending where Brent achieves success and happiness without Gervais exploring or developing the character in any meaningful way. It opens 3rd place at the box office and gets 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Replies From View

Why do people keep mentioning Christopher Lloyd's character in Back to the Future?

father_bigley

Quote from: Replies From View on August 05, 2014, 07:46:01 PM
Why do people keep mentioning Christopher Lloyd's character in Back to the Future?

Film actually a 30th anniversary remake of BTTF II. Ricky Gervais is David Brent as Marty McFly. Slough is Hill Valley, future bits can just be filmed in the present day. Brent on a hoverboard. Brent playing Johnny B Goode. "Grays. Sports. Almanac." Dawn and Tim are the parents.

Jerzy Bondov

Well it makes sense. I mean, remember how John Cleese did that Basil Fawlty film twelve years after Fawlty Towers finished.

Maow

Quote from: Thomas on August 05, 2014, 04:35:36 PM
It is good. I found myself caring for the characters - the relationship between Tim and Dawn was pretty moving,
Spoiler alert
though, dramatically, I think it would've been better if Dawn hadn't returned for Tim at the very end
[close]
- and watching through my fingers during some of the more awkward scenes.

Yep. I actually think the Tim and Dawn ending prevented it from being a truly great show, a poor bit of writing that merely gave the audiences what they wanted. Because I don't mind bleakness, I would have preferred it to end before the specials, with Brent getting fired and begging for his job back, if I had to choose. It would have felt more honest. The specials were fine though except for that scene.

BlodwynPig


madhair60



phes

QuoteDirector: Ricky Gervais
Writer: Ricky Gervais
Stars: Ricky Gervais

Promising. He's absolutely justified in clearing this up:



but let's hope that's just the beginning of the 'David Brent guide to how to enjoy my work'. We're looking through the other end of the telescope here. If this goes tits up it could major tantrum time.

NoSleep

Quote from: elnombre on August 05, 2014, 03:29:50 PM
Sounds like a cross between This Is Spinal Tap.

This.

QuoteAs fans of Brent's YouTube shows will attest, the former pen-pusher still has big dreams of rock stardom, despite the fact he has a day job as a sales rep selling cleaning products up and down the country.
Similar to the mockumentary style that made The Office so revolutionary, Life on the Road will follow Brent on his self-financed tour. A release says: "He thinks it'll be like Scorsese filming the Rolling Stones, but it turns out to be a 'where are they now' documentary.

More like it turns out to be like "This Is Spinal Tap", the original mockumentary[nb]Not quite true: Peter Watkins' Privilege predates This Is Spinal Tap by almost a decade and a half with its mockumentary style[nb]Lets not forget the previous two mockumentaries he did; Culloden & The War Game; one of which actually made it to British TV (Culloden), so The Office isn't even a first for TV (so much for the "revolutionary").[/nb][/nb] that the style of The Office is based on.

Queneau

This thread is going to be absolutely huge.


Replies From View


HappyTree

This promises to be a veritable Twitterfest of PR depravity. Let the games commence!

BritishHobo


Steven

10 to 1 odds Gervais has been obsessively thinking about killing Brent off at the end of the movie, a sad depressed Brent hangs himself in his tiny dressing room of a Bolton nightclub or whatever. But then considering it further he realises he may need the character in future as he doesn't know what he's doing with his career, what to do, what to do? Kill him off then if he needs him do retrospective prequels featuring Brent? He can't have it both ways. Just sayin :)

BritishHobo

Imagine if he gave him a really upbeat happy ending.

Queneau


Depressed Beyond Tables


Paisley

He's linking to a Guardian poll now:

https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/497001533759037440

He really can't let anything go. Poor guy. Where are his friends? Why hasn't anyone staged an intervention yet?