{"id":241126,"date":"2026-01-12T14:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T14:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/241126\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T14:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T14:18:10","slug":"the-office-south-african-remake-die-kantoor-unveils-first-trailer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/241126\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Office’ South African Remake ‘Die Kantoor’ Unveils First Trailer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAfrican streamer Showmax has unveiled the first trailer for \u2018Die Kantoor<\/a>,\u2019 the Afrikaans-language adaptation of the globally successful format \u2018The Office<\/a>,\u2019 licensed by BBC Studios.<\/p>\n

\n\tTV channel kykNET will preview the opening episode at on African broadcaster DStv on Jan. 18, ahead of the Showmax double-bill premiere on Jan. 20. Subsequent episodes will roll out weekly on both platforms.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe trailer provides a first glimpse of Albert Pretorius<\/a> stepping into the legendary manager role that previously earned both Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell Golden Globe awards \u2014 as David Brent in the British original and Michael Scott in the U.S. version, respectively. The 2025 Fleur du Cap and Woordfees winner, known for \u201cNiggies\u201d and \u201cN\u00earens, Noord-Kaap,\u201d portrays Flip, the manager at polony distributors Deluxe Processed Meats.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFlip thinks of himself as the Rassie Erasmus of polony; in his mind, the documentary crew is making his \u2018Chasing the Sun,\u2019 about how he\u2019s taking this team to the next level,\u201d Pretorius explains.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor international audiences unfamiliar with South African culture, polony refers to a highly processed sausage, while Rassie Erasmus serves as the visionary coach of the Springbok rugby team. \u201cChasing the Sun\u201d is the International Emmy-nominated documentary series chronicling South Africa\u2019s two most recent World Cup rugby victories.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe\u2019s grappling with what it means to be a man \u2013 an Afrikaans man \u2013 but he doesn\u2019t realise that a lot of the qualities he aspires to are archaic. Or that he actually has very few of them. That\u2019s where the comedy lies, because he tries so bloody hard just to be liked,\u201d Pretorius says. \u201cIsn\u2019t that what cringe is? People trying their best by being the absolute worst.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMore than two decades have passed since Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant introduced audiences to the brilliantly bleak mockumentary universe of \u2018The Office.\u2019 The original British version is considered one of the best comedy series of all time, while the American adaptation claimed five Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and became the most streamed show globally in 2020.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis widespread appeal has spawned remakes for audiences worldwide. The South African edition marks the format\u2019s 14th international adaptation.<\/p>\n

\n\tRapid Blue, part of BBC Studios, is producing the Showmax Original, with SAFTA and Silwerskerm winner Bennie Fourie (\u201cHotel\u201d) serving as head writer and director. BBC Studios is managing global sales.<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond Pretorius, the ensemble includes SAFTA winner Schalk Bezuidenhout (\u201cKanarie,\u201d \u201cHotel\u201d), Silwerskerm winner Ilse Oppelt (\u201cOh Schuks I\u2019m Gatvol,\u201d \u201cFishy F\u00eashuns\u201d), Carl Beukes (\u201cJozi,\u201d \u201cThe Shakedown\u201d), Daniah de Villiers (\u201cMia and the White Lion\u201d), Mehboob Bawa (\u201cBhai\u2019s Cafe\u201d), former KFM radio presenter Sipumziwe Lucwaba, veteran Lida Botha (\u201cDie Kwiksilvers\u201d) and newcomer Gert du Plessis.<\/p>\n

\n\tWatch the trailer here:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"African streamer Showmax has unveiled the first trailer for \u2018Die Kantoor,\u2019 the Afrikaans-language adaptation of the globally successful…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241127,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[122097,122098,93,61,60,4201,282],"class_list":{"0":"post-241126","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-albert-pretorius","9":"tag-die-kantoor","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-the-office","14":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}