Steve Carell Is 'Excited' That “The Office” Spinoff Is 'Happening' — but He 'Will Not Be Showing Up'
John Krasinski, who played Jim Halpert on the beloved sitcom, also told PEOPLE that he hasn't been "asked" to join the spinoff, "but the truth is I’d do anything Greg Daniels asked me to do"
Steve Carell will be cheering on the new The Office spinoff, but from a distance!
Shortly after NBC announced that the beloved sitcom would be returning for a spinoff series, the actor, who famously played Michael Scott, told The Hollywood Reporter that he will be tuning in alongside The Office fans but won't be making a future cameo.
“I will be watching but I will not be showing up. It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character to show up in something like that,” he explained. “But I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit. I love the idea — I guess it’s set in a failing newspaper company."
On May 8, the network revealed that Greg Daniels — who adapted the British version of the show — and Michael Koman will join forces to bring a new hilarious story to viewers' screens.
Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore, the breakout star of season 2 of The White Lotus, are set to the lead the new Peacock series, which will begin production in July.
The unnamed comedy will see the same documentary crew that "immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch," making household names out of Scott, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), among others, "in search of a new subject."
The crew will discover "a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters," and a new office dynamic will grace the screen.
Mathew Tsang/Getty; Daniele Venturelli/WireImage
(L) Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore"I worked with Domhnall Gleeson, who is one of the leads," Carell told THR. "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 also addressed the spinoff during an appearance on The Late Show with Steven Colbert on May 13, where he excitedly told Colbert of the Peacock series, "Yep, it's happening!"
However, when Colbert asked if fans can expect to see him take on the role of Michael Scott once more, Carell said, "I doubt it." When fans started to boo in the crowd, he added, "But maybe!?"
Krasinski, 44, also addressed the upcoming spinoff in conversation with PEOPLE at the IF movie premiere on May 13.
When asked if he was involved with the project, the actor admitted, "I know nothing about it other than I think it's taking place in a newspaper, a local newspaper and that Domhnall Gleeson, who I am working with right now, who’s the sweetest most talented guy, he’s going to crush… whatever it is… he’s going to crush it."
As for whether Krasinski thought he'd reprise his role as Jim, he said, "No, they haven't asked but the truth is I’d do anything Greg Daniels asked me to do."
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The Office can be streamed in full on Peacock.
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