NBC Is Really Trying to Bring Back 'The Office' in 2018

Photo of John Krasinski in 'The Office,' courtesy NBC

Just months after bringing back Will & Grace, NBC appears to be making serious moves to revive The Office.

TVLine first reported Monday evening the network is eyeing a new version of the long-running workplace comedy, which would feature a "mix of new and old cast members," not including Steve Carell, whose beloved character Michael Scott departed the show in the seventh of nine seasons.

Rumors of an Office revival briefly surfaced over the summer following the Will & Grace pickup when NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said there was an open invitation for a return to Scranton, although he noted creator Greg Daniels hadn't yet indicated he would be on board.

"I’ve talked to Greg [Daniels] four times over the past few years. It’s always, 'Maybe someday, but not now,'" Greenblatt said of Office discusssions back in August, adding: "We don’t have anything happening right now. If he wants to do it, I would do it."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC is currently on the hunt for a "Michael Scott-like regional manager" of paper supply company Dunder Mifflin, in addition to a number of new faces.

While the original U.S. edition turned the likes of Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, Ellie Kemper, Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms and Craig Robinson into household names, a source tells Variance it's unlikely any of them would appear in the new version, although Wilson could somehow be an exception, as could Paul Lieberstein, who played Michael's archenemy Toby Flenderson. 

Based on the hit British comedy of the same name, NBC's The Office ran from 2005 to 2013, with next May marking five years since the show's final episode. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2006.

A revival of The Office, which still maintains an enormous cult following, would be an incredibly risky project for NBC. But the network has clearly found comfort in the success of Will & Grace, which last week earned a surprise Golden Globe nomination for Best Comedy Series and has already been renewed for another new season.

A rep for NBC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.