The Office star Steve Carell won't appear in the upcoming spin-off set at a midwestern daily newspaper.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Carell said he'll be watching the new show but won't appear in it because there would be no reason for his character Michael Scott to appear.
"I will be watching but I will not be showing up," Carell said. "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 concept."
Carell also said Star Wars: Episode 9 - The Rise of Skywalker actor Domhnall Gleeson, who will reportedly appear in the spin-off, was a great addition to the cast.
"I love the idea," he continued. "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 starred in the U.S. version of The Office for seven seasons before leaving the show ahead of its final two, when his character moved to Boulder, Colorado. It's unclear exactly where in the Midwest spin-off will be set but it is in the same universe, perhaps leaving some room for classic characters to show up.
Darryl Philbin actor Craig Robinson has already expressed interest in returning for some sort of reboot or continuation, and Pam Beesly actress Jenna Fischer said she'd be on board if The Office co-creator Greg Daniels was involved.
Daniels is, working as co-creator of the spin-off alongside Michael Koman, but the new show appears to be a completely fresh take with no connections to the original cast or company. The Office UK star Ricky Gervais did show up as David Brent in the U.S. series through a brief cameo, however, so perhaps anything is possible.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
