The Office: Steve Carell Says No to Appearing in Reboot

Greg Daniels and Peacock are taking another crack at the world of . Daniels, the creator of the American version of The Office, is working alongside Nathan For You creator Michael Korman on a series that follows the same mockumentary style and takes place within the universe of Dunder Mifflin. While the new show will be set in the same world as the smash hit, don’t expect to see longtime Dunder Mifflin manager Michael Scott.

Steve Carell’s iconic paper salesman has become one of the most beloved sitcom characters of all time, and many fans will hope to see him in the new spinoff. According to Carell, however, a return is definitely not in the cards.

“I will be watching but I will not be showing up,” Carell told The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere of his new movie, IF (directed by The Office co-star John Krasinski). “It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character to show up in something like that.”

Despite having no interest in being involved on-camera, Carell shared his excitement for what Daniels and his team have planned for the show. Carell previously worked alongside Domhnall Gleeson, one of the spinoff’s lead actors, in the 2022 series The Patient.

“But I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit,” he added. “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.”

The Office spinoff series is set to go into production this summer and it has been given a 10-episode order by Peacock. Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore will star as employees of a struggling newspaper trying to get by day-to-day. The documentary crew that spent years at Dunder Mifflin finds the newspaper amid a search for a new subject.

“It’s been more than 10 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 Lisa Katz, president of NBCUniversal Entertainment. “In partnership with Universal Television and led by the creative team of Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, 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.”