Exclusive: Ricky Gervais to Travel to Hollywood with Extras
Andy Millman and company to try and make it big in LA
Could Andy Millman be hoping to make it big in Hollywood and rub shoulders with Al Pacino in a new return to Ricky Gervais' comedy hit Extras? Gervais certainly thinks so.
Speaking exclusively to Rotten Tomatoes, as he came into our London office to collect a Certified Fresh award for his movie Ghost Town, Ricky revealed that more Extras was certainly on the cards. "There's an open end [to the series]," he said, "same as The Office, but we couldn't go back to The Office for many reasons. Extras has more legs and there could certainly be another chapter."
Gervais didn't specify whether this would be a one-off special or a new series - recent indications point to the former -- but he did tease us on the potential route the show would take. "The Andy story can continue," he told RT, "Has he just walked out? Does he want to come back? Does he go to America, does he try to do a remake? There's a thousand different ways we could go but we'd only do it if we're really sure about it."
Despite his hesitance, Gervais was clearly keen to explore Andy's American adventure. The show, he said, is "always the opposite of my career. That's the fun: there but by the grace of God go I.
"I read, every day in the paper, 'So and so to be remade in America. Will it be like The Office?' Probably not, The Office was the first thing to make it in thirty years. I also see stuff like, 'So and so big in America,' - no they're not, that's their PR saying that."
In the show, Andy writes a sitcom called When the Whistle Blows, which is quickly watered-down by the BBC as they take back his control. In the special, could we see an attempt at an American remake, just as The Office was remade for NBC? "It'd be nice for Andy to go [to America] and maybe Britain thinks he's huge but actually he's struggling. Maybe everyone assumes the remake will be huge and it gets cancelled after one episode or one series.
"It'd be nice to play with that perception of what Brits get from America and what the truth is. And, obviously, he'd maybe take some of the films that I turned down..."
As for guest stars, though, Gervais was citing early days. "We've got a lot to beat in terms of guest stars," he told us, "Where do you go from De Niro, Sam Jackson and Kate Winslet? I'd love Al Pacino. I think we could do a lot with him."
Join us later for more with Gervais, as he accepts his Certified Fresh award and sits down for a full interview.
Ghost Town is in cinemas now and you can find out more about Gervais at his official website.
Agent Michael Scarn on 11-4-2008 02:32 AM
I love Extras, and Gervais is a god amongst men, but I'm not entirly sure how I feel about this. Andy's arc seems complete, and I'm worried that another series could just be a retread of psychological and emotional issues the show has already dealt with. Still, I trust Gervais and Merchant so if they decide to give this another go I will trust that they know what they're doing.