The Office Reboot Rumored To Be Gearing Up
More than ten years after its season finale first aired in May of 2013, a reboot of the American version of "The Office" is currently rumored to be in the works.
Few details have surfaced beyond its purported existence, which first began circulating in a piece by Puck. It describes various film and TV projects that might soon be announced in light of the WGA and AMPTP reaching a tentative agreement to end the most recent writers' strike. A reboot of the American "Office" is among the projects listed, and the original version's showrunner Greg Daniels is attached.
An official "Office" reboot has yet to be mentioned by any other sources, so it's still very much a rumor and not a sure thing. Of course, given the original series' massive and sustained popularity, it's hard to imagine that "The Office" won't one day return in some way, shape, or form, so it's at least believable that Daniels might revive what is in all likelihood the biggest success of his career.
The idea of an Office reboot is nothing new
Since "The Office" went off the air, virtually all of the major players involved in its making have commend on the prospect of a series revival in an interview at one point or another. For example, showrunner Greg Daniels addressed an "Office" reboot by characterizing Steve Carell's character Michael Scott as a relic of a bygone era. Back when the show was released, he explained, Michael's bad behavior helped highlight untoward workplace behavior to viewers who might not have recognized it outside of the show's absurd lens. Now, he explained, culture at large has caught up with Michael's transgressions, effectively neutralizing the need for his character. He was most interested at that point, therefore, in a series revival that differed significantly from its original incarnation.
Carell said something similar about an "Office" reboot, sharing that he wouldn't want a new version of the show to retread familiar ground, knowing that the most likely form a revival might take would be more of the same rather than a new approach to its core concept. With Daniels and Carell's comments in mind, then, it's entirely possible that the rumored revival might not necessarily resemble the "Office" of the past. It's also possible, of course, that a reboot isn't actually in the works and this rumor is hearsay. For now, only time will tell whether or not "The Office" is actually coming back.