More names have been added to the upcoming The Office spin-off series.
Per Variety, the as-yet-untitled series – which is rumoured to be called The Paper – has clinched comedians Tim Key, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, and Eric Rahill as cast members, with the latter three also onboard as writers.
They join a cast that includes previously-announced actors Domhnall Gleeson, The White Lotus season two breakout Sabrina Impacciatore, Melvin Gregg, Chelsea Frei, and Ramona Young.
In June, The Office star Steve Carell claimed that he convinced his The Patient co-star Gleeson to accept the role after a phone call. Carell is not currently slated to cameo in the upcoming series, which will also be a mockumentary.
The show is not a reboot of The Office, and will instead focus on a new set of characters in the same universe. Greg Daniels, who developed the American version of the series, is co-creating the new show with Michael Koman. It was reported earlier this year that the series would commence production in July, although it is not confirmed if those plans went as stated.
The official longline from Peacock states: “The documentary crew that immortalised 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 currently unclear if other actors from the American version of The Office will appear in the spin-off. John Krasinski, who played Jim Halpert in all nine seasons of the show, told People in May: “The truth is I’d do anything Greg Daniels asked me to do.”
Greg Daniels attends The Prime Experience: “The Art of Storytelling” on May 21, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. CREDIT: Getty / Jon Kopaloff / Stringer
When plans for The Office spin-off were first announced last year, they were met with a mixed response from fans.
Daniels previously spoke of the upcoming series as one that would be part of a “universe” with The Office, like how The Mandalorian functions within Star Wars.
“The notion of maybe something like the way The Mandalorian is a new show in the Star Wars universe, you know what I mean? Something like the notion of this documentary crew doing a documentary about a different subject,” he continued.
“That, I think, could be intriguing and creative. But I don’t even know what you would call that. I don’t know if that’s like a sister show or something. I don’t know what the term is. But it doesn’t feel like ‘reboot’ would be the appropriate term for that.”
John Krasinski, B.J Novak, Jenna Fischer, Steve Carell, and Rainn Wilson in ‘The Office’ CREDIT: Alamy Stock Photo
Just this week, The Office director Paul Feig revealed that Carell’s efforts to shape his character, boss Michael Scott, from an “asshole” to a “misguided idiot” in season two helped save the show from being axed.
“It was the scene we were shooting when everybody was supposed to be working and they’re screwing off doing this thing. And in order to not get in trouble with Michael, they’re going to give him a gold medal,” Feig explained on Jesse Ferguson’s podcast Dinner’s On Me.
“But we’re shooting it and Steve gets emotional. Steve as the character, because he’s had this terrible day. And so he starts like kind of crying, like a tear goes down his eye and we’re like, ‘Oh my God.’ And I’m going like, ‘Oh, do that again. Do that again. This is a great.’ And I think that was this moment of like, that’s him.
“He’s got a humanity about him and everybody figured out, ‘No, he’s not an asshole. He’s a misguided idiot who is an asshole because he’s trying to be funny.’ Right. So you go like, ‘OK, he means well.’”
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