Back to Dunder Mifflin?
Casting underway for ‘The Office’ offshoot
Back to Dunder Mifflin?: There has been a lot of talk — and now, a few updates — about reviving the beloved sitcom “The Office,” which ended in 2013 and starred Steve Carell (“Space Force”), John Krasinski (“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”) and Mindy Kaling (“The Mindy Project”), among others.
Back in January of this year, showrunner Greg Daniels (“Parks and Recreation”) got fans buzzing when he opened a development room and tasked writers with exploring ideas for a possible follow-up to the NBC mockumentary, itself an adaptation of the Ricky Gervais (“After Life”) led BBC comedy of the same name.
Then came news in March that Daniels had tapped “Nathan for You” co-creator Michael Koman to help him create the show, which has yet to be officially greenlit, though it certainly seems as if it continues to be of interest to NBCUniversal.
Now comes word that casting may already be underway, with Sabrina Impacciatore (“The White Lotus”) and Domhnall Gleeson (“The Patient”) reportedly on board as members of its fledgling ensemble cast.
Who are they going to play? No one is saying at this time.
When might it air? Again, we’re in the early stages, but The Hollywood Reporter indicates that Daniels and Koman have “been casting a wide net to find talent availabilities for the latter half of this year.”
What would this new iteration be about? That, too, is largely unknown. But in a November 2023 interview with The Wrap, Daniels explained that he was more interested in doing a spiritual successor or an offshoot set within the same world as the Carell-led series — oh, and don’t call it a reboot.*
“I don’t like to think of anything as a reboot, you know what I mean? Because
I feel like we ended that story beautifully,” Daniels explained. “The characters had closure. I would never want to redo that same show with a different cast, because I think we got the luckiest cast, the best cast ever, in TV to do that show. So the notion of a reboot is not of interest. The notion of maybe something like the way ‘The Mandalorian’ is a new show in the Star Wars universe, you know what I mean? Something like the notion of this documentary crew doing a documentary about a different subject. That, I think, could be intriguing and creative. But I don’t even know what you would call that. I don’t know if that’s like a sister show or something. I don’t know what the term is. But it doesn’t feel like ‘reboot’ would be the appropriate term for that.”
Waiting for ‘Wednesday': Look for Steve Buscemi (“Boardwalk Empire”) to pop up on small screens when Netflix’s “Wednesday” returns for its highly anticipated second season.
Buscemi is the latest addition to the cast of the smash-hit “The Addams Family” spinoff, led by Jenna Ortega (“Finest kind,” 2023). The series stars Ortega as Wednesday Addams, who, as a student at Nevermore Academy, is busy trying to master her psychic ability, “thwart a killing spree” (per Netflix) and solve a 25-year-old mystery, all while making new friends and/or foes.
An eight-time Primetime Emmy nominee (and onetime winner) known for taking on both dramatic and comedic roles, Buscemi will reportedly play the part of the new principal of Nevermore Academy, according to Variety’s sources.
Both Buscemi and Netflix declined to comment on Variety’s report. Though, generally speaking, few details about Season 2 had been made available or confirmed leading up to the scheduled start of filming, which was delayed by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023. But there is certainly a lot of interest in the show’s return, especially given its four Emmy wins and its status as one of the most-watched Netflix originals.
As for Buscemi, he recently directed the 2022 indie drama “The Listener,” which starred Tessa Thompson (“Creed III,” 2023) as a helpline operator. He also starred opposite Daniel Radcliffe (star of the Harry Potter franchise) in the TBS anthology comedy series “Miracle Workers,” which wrapped just last year.
‘Studio' heads: A new half-hour series from comedian Seth Rogen’s (“Platonic”) Point Grey Pictures production company is coming soon to Apple TV+.
Along with longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg (“Superbad,” 2007), Rogen is the co-creator, co-writer, co-director and co-executive producer of the series, which was ordered to series back in November 2022 and began production this spring. It’s called “The Studio,” and according to the official logline, it’s a showbiz satire that follows “a legacy Hollywood movie studio trying to survive in a world where it is increasingly difficult for art and commerce to live together.”
Rogen will also star in the project, which has attracted some pretty big names, with Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”) and Kathryn Hahn (“Wanda Vision”) joining Ike Barinholtz (“The Mindy Project”) and Chase Sui Wonders (“Bupkis”) as series regulars. Deadline also confirmed that Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”), Keyla Monterroso Mejia (“Freeridge”) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Upshaws”) are expected to appear in recurring roles, though none of the character names — regular or recurring — have been confirmed.
Rogen’s other Apple TV+ series, “Platonic,” is also expected to return to the streamer for a second season.