Steve Carell has no plans ‘to revisit his biggest TV hit’ as he opts out of ‘The Office’ reboot, claims source

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: According to reports, actor Steve Carell, who rose to prominence from 'The Office,' has no interest in participating in the recently-planned reboot.

The 61-year-old actor will not return to play the same adored Michael Scott in the upcoming sitcom remake, as reported by Radar Online.

Carell reportedly refuses to have anything to do with the revival because he believes it will ruin the credibility of the hit American sitcom.

'There are zero plans for Steve to be involved in 'The Office' reboot'

Carell, who played apathetic Dunder Mifflin Paper Company manager Michael Scott, quit the adored series in 2011 after seven seasons to pursue other endeavors and spend more time with his family.

Even after A-list actor Will Ferrell was brought on to replace Carell, the series floundered without him and was eventually canceled two years later, much to the viewer's dismay.

It appears that Carell has no desire to reprise his legendary role, even if there are rumors that the series is about to be rebooted.

The news of 'The Office's' reboot was initially confirmed in a Puck article, which came after the months-long strikes by WGA and SAG-AFTRA in Hollywood ended in September 2023.

"There are zero plans for Steve to be involved in 'The Office' reboot," an insider informed the National Enquirer.

The insider further added: "Steve and his wife, Nancy, who is also one of the architects of his career, are the type of people who never like to stay at a party too long. That's one reason revisiting his biggest TV hit is not in the cards for them."

Following his exit from the show, Carell has achieved success as a dramatic and comedic actor, going on to have a great run on 'The Morning Show,' starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.

In seven episodes of 'The Office,' Nancy also made an appearance as Carol Stills, Michael's realtor and ex-girlfriend. There are supposedly "zero plans" at this time for Carell to return to his managerial role on the show, but you never know.

There is pressure on Carrell to participate in the potential production because the show's original director Greg Daniels is anticipated to return as well.

An insider explained, "Steve is in a tricky place because some of his colleagues from the show, most notably executive producer Greg Daniels, are involved in the planned reboot and would love for him to help out somehow."

"Even if that means writing and directing rather than appearing on camera. You have to wonder if a mountain of money would change his mind," the insider added.

Why did Steve Carell leave 'The Office'?

Many fans were left wondering why Steve Carell left 'The Office' after he gave rise to one of the most enduring sitcom characters ever.

Carell was the first and most notable cast member to depart from 'The Office,' though many other significant characters also left by the end of the show.

In an interview for the 'Office Ladies' podcast, Carell earlier explained to hosts and former 'The Office' co-stars, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, why he quit the show even though it was "very emotional".

According to Carell, the other characters on the show should take center stage and have their narratives become the main attraction.

He explained in the podcast: "It was time for other characters to step to the forefront and other storylines to be pursued. I think it was the right… the timing was right, I think for everybody but simultaneously there’s just a sense of joy for me that we had experienced all of this and we were getting… I was getting a chance to take a lap with everybody."

"And the way those last two episodes were structured, it felt very rich to me to simultaneously be saying goodbye as Michael and us as friends in this moment of work together. But, yeah, it was a lot, it was a very emotional thing," Carell added, as per Screen Rant.

There has not been an official release date for the reboot revealed yet. During an interview with The Wrap, Daniels clarified why he wouldn't regard a resurrection of the show as a true "reboot".

Daniels stated in November 2023, "I don’t like to think of anything as a reboot. Because I feel like we ended that story beautifully. 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."