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It is time for Dunder Mifflin loyalists to look forward to developments in the space, as Greg Daniels has been reported to be in the works for The Office reboot. As the writers’ strike nears an end, writers Matthew Belloni and Jonathan Handel wrote a speculative piece for Puck News, which indicated a reboot of The Office coming soon. They wrote,
“Greg Daniels is set to do a reboot of The Office, for instance. Disney’s Dana Walden will finally be able to announce the return of her BFF Ryan Murphy from Netflix. A ton of high-profile movie scripts will come in. The industry will chug back to normal.”
The Office US has left a lasting impact on pop culture when it comes to iconic television shows, and fans now have a reason to look forward to another chapter to the already existing nine seasons.
The Office reboot - Five things that fans may expect from a rebooted version
1) Updated format
Keeping aside the announcement by Matthew Belloni and Jonathan Handel, the show’s developer, Greg Daniels, has been vocal about a format change when it comes to The Office reboot. He is more inclined towards building a new storyline rather than bringing in the old cast to reprise their roles.
He shared with Collider in a February 25, 2022 piece,
“I can't tell whether fans would want more of it, and when I say more of it, I don't think it would be the same characters. I think it would just be sort of like an extension of the universe, you know what I mean, like the way [The] Mandalorian is like an extension of Star Wars. But I don’t know if that would be something people would want or not, it’s hard to tell.”
2) Revised cast
The Office has become the phenomenon that it is owing to the stellar cast comprising names such as Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Craig Robinson, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Creed Bratton, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Ed Helms, and Ellie Kemper.
However, the reboot could be looking at a revised cast with a mix of old and new actors. So far, John Krasinski (Jim), Jenna Fischer (Pam), Creed Bratton (Creed), Angela Kinsey (Angela), and Leslie David Baker (Stanley) have expressed their willingness to be part of a reboot.
Back in 2020, Krasinski told Esquire,
"I mean, it is my beginning and my end. I'm pretty sure at the end of my career I'll still be known for Jim. That was my first experience with Hollywood. It was the first creative family I've ever had. In many ways, they will always be the most important people in that most important experience in my career. So yeah, if they did a reunion, I would absolutely love to do it."
3) Implementation of a pandemic reboot
Rainn Wilson had initially come up with an idea for the reboot wherein he suggested that the backdrop of the new developments would take place against the worldwide pandemic.
Wilson (Dwight Schrute) appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show and shared,
"It would’ve been so much fun to film The Office during the pandemic. If we had pandemic episodes, that would’ve been amazing."
He continues,
"I think it would be: He gets the call from corporate to get everyone back in the office and everyone is resistant. So, one at a time, Dwight has to kidnap every Office cast member and bring them into Dunder Mifflin in some kind of obscure and somewhat inappropriate way.”
4) Restrained use of dark humor
The NBC workplace comedy has gathered a cult following over eight years of airing, but the boss might refrain from joining the cast. Steve Carell had initially put forward his thoughts on reprising his character when talks of a reboot arose in 2018. Further, he stated how the humor may be toned down owing to the socio-political climate.
He shared with Esquire on October 11, 2018,
"Apart from the fact that I just don't think that’s a good idea, it might be impossible to do that show today and have people accept it the way it was accepted ten years ago," he said. "The climate's different. I mean, the whole idea of that character, Michael Scott, so much of it was predicated on inappropriate behaviour."
5) Polarising reaction from fans
The Office is already on its way to receiving an Australian spin-off, with comedian and actor Felicity Ward taking on the role of the Branch Manager. With the announcement of a reboot for The Office US, fans have expressed their views, which have turned out to be polarising in nature.
On the same note, Daniels seems to be on the optimistic side of the argument, as he shared with Collider,
“It was such a perfect thing that I would hesitate to open it up. We got the chance to end it the way we wanted to end it. It wasn’t like we were interrupted in the middle of a run or something. So in a sense, it’s completely an artistic whole.”
One can be hopeful that the reboot will be able to turn things around for fans who seem skeptical about the idea.
While awaiting a reboot of The Office, viewers can access the series’ nine seasons on various streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
