Steve Carell on How He Really Feels About 'The Office' Reboot
"I'm excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit."
Last week, Peacock announced that a new series was in the works set in the same universe as The Office, finally giving into fans who have for years been clamoring for a reboot. However, given the setting of the new series—which will take place at a Midwestern newspaper—it seems unlikely that the original cast will show up in any capacity.
And NBC's original The Office star confirmed as much during the premiere of his new live-action/animated fantasy comedy If on Monday. "I will be watching but I will not be showing up—that is off the cards," Carell told The Hollywood Reporter when asked about the reboot.
"Yeah, it’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character to show up in something like that. But I'm excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit," he explained. "I love the idea, I guess it’s set in a failing newspaper company, and I worked with Domhnall Gleeson, who is one of the leads."
"I did The Patient with him and he’s an excellent actor and a super nice guy so I think it’ll be great," Carell added, of the 2022 FX limited psychological drama that he and Gleeson starred in together.
Steve Carell says he definitely won't be showing up in the upcoming reboot of #TheOffice, but he thinks the show will be great pic.twitter.com/2QVdNVuM88
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 13, 2024
In addition to Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, who appeared as the sexually frustrated hotel manager in season two of The White Lotus, is attached to lead the ensemble comedy. The series is being executive produced by The Office alum Greg Daniels and Nathan for You co-creator Michael Koman, as well as the original UK The Office co-creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
In its announcement, Peacock wrote: "The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch is in search of a new subject when they discover a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters."
"It’s been more than ten years since the final episode of The Office aired on NBC, and the acclaimed comedy series continues to gain popularity and build new generations of fans on Peacock," said NBCUniversal Entertainment President Lisa Katz in a statement. "This new series set in the universe of Dunder Mifflin introduces a new cast of characters in a fresh setting ripe for comedic storytelling: a daily newspaper."