Steve Carell speaks out on hopes he’ll return for The Office reboot

Steve Carell has shared his thoughts on plans for a sequel to The Office – and addressed questions over whether he will return to reprise his role.

Carrell, 61, was nominated for six Emmys for his lead role as the irritating but lovable stationery company manager Michael Scott in the hit sitcom, which was a spin-off of the British original co-created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

According to several publications, the hit show will be making a comeback in a reboot starring brand new characters. The cast will reportedly be led by Irish actor Domnhall Gleeson and The White Lotus’s Sabrina Impacciatore.

Fans will be disappointed to learn, however, that any future outings will not involve Carelll.

“I will be watching but I will not be showing up,” Carell told The Hollywood Reporter on Monday (13 May), on the red carpet of the new film IF.

“It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character to show up in something like that.”

Although he has ruled out his own involvement in the reboot, Carell went on to share his positive feelings towards the idea, and praised his former castmate Gleeson for landing the gig.

“I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit,” Carell 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.”

Last month, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the new cast will feature Sabrina Impacciatore, who played resort manager Valentina in the second season of The White Lotus, and Gleeson, known for roles such as General Armitage Hux in the Star Wars films The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, and a time-travelling romantic in the 2013 romantic-comedy About Time.

It has previously been reported that the mockumentary series will likely be set in a new office with new characters, but would live within the same universe as the first run of the show.

The original series saw Carell’s Michael Scott running the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

Employees included the prank-loving sales associate Jim Halpert (John Krazinski), receptionist Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), assistant to the regional manager Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), and head of accounting Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey).

The show aired for nine seasons from 2005 to 2013 and picked up several accolades throughout its run, including a Peabody Award in 2006, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award for Carell's performance, and four Primetime Emmy Awards.