Some of the original cast of The Office have opened up about the new untitled spinoff airing on Peacock.
The show — reported to be but a new mockumentary featuring fresh cast members set in the same universe as the original — was first announced in 2023.
The official logline reads: “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.”
Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore are slated to star in the untitled series, which will start production in July 2024.
Although fans are clamoring for the original cast to make appearances, a few have set the record straight.
Scroll down to see which original Office actors have said about the upcoming spinoff:
Steve Carell
“I will be watching, but I will not be showing up,” Carell, who played Michael Scott on the hit NBC series that ran from 2005 to 2013, told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month. “It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character [Michael Scott] to show up in something like that. But I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit.”
He continued: “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 2022 series] The Patient with him, and he’s an excellent actor and a super nice guy, so I think it’ll be great.”
Earlier this month, Carell said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that he doesn’t see himself making an appearance on the spinoff.
“I doubt it,” he said before the audience moaned in disappointment. “But maybe,” he added.
John Krasinski
Krasinski, who portrayed Jim Halpert on the original series, told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month that, “As of now, I haven’t been asked.”
He added that he would “do anything for [creator] Greg Daniels,” noting that the producers seem to “have a really fun idea.”
Jenna Fischer
Fischer, the beloved Pam and Jim Halpert’s sweetheart on the hit NBC show, told People in April that she has “not been approached,” adding, “I don’t know a lot of details, but I’m not involved. I haven’t been approached about it.”
Rainn Wilson
Wilson revealed on The View earlier this month that he would be open to reprising his role as the quirky Dwight Schrute.
“I literally know nothing about it, but I love the idea that they’re trying to do an Office spinoff, not in Dunder Mifflin, not with the same characters, but a documentary crew following a different workplace,” he said at the time. “If Dwight Schrute shows up at a newspaper in the Midwest, then I’m there.”
Mindy Kaling
Earlier this month, Kailing — who played Kelly in the original series — offered some words of wisdom for the new actors while filming their scenes.
“Try not to laugh,” she said on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up. “I ruined so many takes just because I’d be, like, laughing at Rainn Wilson and Steve Carell. I was not professional.”
