Steve Carell recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming follow-up series to The Office, expressing excitement but clarifying that he won’t be making an appearance. Speaking at the premiere of his new film IF on Monday, Carell told The Hollywood Reporter, “I will be watching but I will not be showing up. It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character [Michael Scott] to show up in something like that.”

Carell, however, is enthusiastic about the new series. “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 Patient with him and he’s an excellent actor and a super nice guy so I think it’ll be great.”

The new series, co-created by The Office’s Greg Daniels and Nathan for You co-creator Michael Koman, will feature Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore leading an ensemble cast. Set in the universe of Dunder Mifflin, it centers on a dying historic Midwestern newspaper, followed by the same documentary crew that immortalized the Scranton office. Peacock has ordered the series, coming 10 years after the original show ended.

While Carell won’t be part of the new show, he is reuniting with The Office alum John Krasinski in IF, with Krasinski serving as writer and director. Carell voices the film’s lead Imaginary Friend, Blue. Reflecting on working with Krasinski, Carell said, “He’s a great director — he’s very thorough, he’s smart and he knows how to work with actors because he is one. It was just a joy from beginning to end and I jumped at the chance to work with him again, partly just to be with him. He’s a good friend and I hadn’t seen him in a while so it was nice to catch up.”

Carell’s excitement for the new series and his reunion with Krasinski highlights his ongoing connection to the The Office universe, even as he moves forward with new projects.

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