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Netflix has acquired worldwide SVOD rights to Ricky Gervais’ David Brent: Life On The Road, a film that is a semi-spinoff of the original The Office. Gervais appeared on SiriusXM’s Opie with Jim Norton Show today where he revealed the “top-secret” news, a clip of which is posted below.
According to Deadline, Gervais stated “I’d rather 20 million people see it than half a million people see it cinemas… I want to do tours off the back of it. So for me, it’s great.” The mockumentary follows the retired show’s branch manager David Brent 15 years later as he continues his quest to become a rock star, a prospect he had originally entertained in the show’s 2003 Christmas special. Netflix has yet to comment on the film, which is set to debut in the UK on August 19th.
In other news…
Netflix’s upcoming limited Western series Godless has found itself a brilliant cast. Written and directed by Scott Frank, the brand new pilot stars Jeff Daniels, Jack O’Connell, Merritt Wever, Jeremy Bobb, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. The show is set in a mining town in 1800s New Mexico. [Deadline]
Netflix has expressed their support for today’s appeals court ruling on Net Neutrality via a brief blog post. The platform reiterates the significance of the ruling, which has settled nearly two decades of dispute, allowing Netflix to reach users without ISP interference and the internet to remain open to all.
Hulu has acquired the exclusive SVOD rights to History’s four-part Roots remake as part of a major deal with A+E networks. Also included in the deal are War and Peace, as well as the eight-part docu-drama Barbarians Rising. War and Peace will be first to debut on Hulu this summer, followed by Roots this fall and Barbarians Rising sometime in 2017. [Variety]
ICYMI: In a blog post yesterday, Netflix revealed their ISP Speed Index for May 2016. The new data revealed that Verizon DSL (not to be confused with Verizon FiOS) is the second worst provider for streaming video, clocking in at an average of 1.96 mbps. Bright House takes the lead with a whopping 3.65 mbps internet speed.
Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor
