Steve Carell doubts he will appear on ‘The Office’ spinoff series

Entertainment

Steve Carell, who starred as Michael Scott on the hit NBC sitcom “The Office,” will “not be showing up” on the upcoming spinoff.

Steve Carell has heard all about the recently announced spinoff of “The Office” that’s heading to Peacock. But don’t expect the Acton native to reprise his role as clueless manager Michael Scott.

During an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Carell was brief with when asked whether he would appear on the show, simply stating, “I doubt it.”

Carell offered more detail later that evening during a red carpet interview for the upcoming animated children’s movie “IF,” which re-teams Carell with “The Office” actor and Newton native John Krasinski.

“I will be watching but I will not be showing up,” Carell told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character [Michael Scott] to show up in something like that. But I’m excited about it. It sounds like a great conceit.”

‘The Office’ spinoff plot details

The spinoff of “The Office” will feature an entirely new cast and isn’t set at Dunder Mifflin, the fictional paper company in Scranton, Penn. Instead, the connective tissue that makes the new show part of the “Office” universe is the documentary crew that filmed Dunder Mifflin employees over the course of nine seasons.

This time around, the film crew selects a dying Midwestern newspaper as its documentary subject.

“The documentary crew that immortalized 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,” reads Peacock’s official synopsis of the new series.

Irish actor Domnhall Gleeson, known for his roles in the “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter” film franchises, will star alongside Sabrina Impacciatore (“The White Lotus”), with filming for the “Office” spinoff starting in July.

Carell told The Hollywood Reporter that he was a big fan of both Gleeson — who he worked with on the 2022 Hulu series “The Patient” — and the idea for the new “Office” spinoff, which will be helmed by “The Office” creator Greg Daniels and “Nathan For You” creator Michael Koman.

“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,” Carell said. “I did ‘The Patient’ with him, and he’s an excellent actor and a super nice guy, so I think it’ll be great.”

Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert reunite

During Carell’s “Late Show” appearance, which taped on Colbert’s 60th birthday, the duo reprised one of their old “Daily Show” segments, “Even Stevphen.”

What started as playful insults between the pair — who first performed together in the ’80s as improvisers at Chicago’s Second City theater — eventually mellowed into heartfelt messages.

“Stephen, I will always be here for you,” Carell said.

“Promise?,” replied Colbert.

“Yes, absolutely,” Carell said. “Anytime I have something to promote.”