It’s not even certain just what this would look like, but if someone could find a way to create a sequel to Office Space it almost feels like it would work. Maybe one idea could have Peter come back and try to mess around with the company that Michael and Samir are working at, and he needs to be brought in to pull another scam. Of course after 21 years one might think that Peter and Joanna would have moved on and he might not even be friends with his two former coworkers any longer. A person could think that they might have a family, a home, and a good life. But then again, that might not make for a good enough sequel, particularly a comedy, since Office Space dealt quite a bit with individuals that couldn’t stand the monotony of their jobs and wanted nothing less than a way out. The scheme they came up with in the first movie might have worked if the three men had been any better at breaking the law, but of course when one recruits programmers that have never broken so much as a traffic law and are content to stay at a job where they’re undervalued and underappreciated it’s hard to think that they might have had a chance of getting away with it.
21 years, can you believe it’s been that long since this movie came out to such a lackluster response? It wasn’t until it had become a home movie that people really started picking up on it, making Office Space into a cult classic that a lot of people found they could relate to in some way. But a sequel would be iffy unless a perfect script could be found. Not necessarily perfect overall, but perfect for the story and because it would hopefully entice a good number of the original actors to return in some way or another, either for a cameo if at all possible or for a little more than that. It’s fair to say that at this point it could be an idea that belongs to a younger generation and could be better represented by those that might be able to utilize the sense of humor that the first movie brought by adding their own sense of funny to it. In a way it’s almost hard to see a movie like this coming to life without injecting some new blood into key roles that might not be the main roles but would be heavy supporting parts that would keep the movie honest and moving in a positive direction.
It’s even kind of hard to say which jokes would still work and which would be a little too offensive to people in this day and age, but to be realistic this movie didn’t really delve into any particular issue that might be seen as a red flag, though it’s safe to assume that a lot of people might take a look at Office Space and claim to be triggered in some way by what they see in the movie. It is the era we live in after all, but there are thankfully a number of ways around it. In fact it almost feels as though the bar set by the first movie would need to be met and reset by the sequel in order to gain the kind of attention it would need in order to really be noticed. A TV series wouldn’t do it, not by any means, as the whole point of the movie feels as though it would be watered down so horribly that it would become a horrible knockoff of The Office without the mockumentary feel. A movie is what is needed for a sequel of Office Space since it needs to be short, to the point, and have a definite beginning and end that might be left open as the movie was, but still can exist as its own entity, rather than being dragged out throughout one or two seasons.
What would be interesting is seeing who would actually come back for the sequel, if anyone, since the cast was great. There were just enough known actors that it was fun to watch them in action, especially since no single actor managed to take over in a big way. This movie really allowed every character to shine in their own way, and while I advocate change from an original movie to a sequel (assuming the sequel is a good idea) this particular sequel would need change, but it would also need to adhere to the original formula just enough to actually feel as though it was connected in some way and not it’s own movie entirely. It would be great to see Peter, Michael, Samir, and maybe even Joanna and Lawrence for a sequel, but it’d take someone that has a definite vision when it comes to making it work.
Follow Us
