‘The Office’s Brian Baumgartner Speaks Out on Potential Return in Spinoff ‘The Paper’”

More than a year ago it was revealed that Greg Daniels is working on ideas for a possible follow-up to The Office called The Paper. The new series, which will stream on Peacock, will focus on the documentary crew from the original show as they find a new subject—a struggling historic newspaper in the Midwest.

The story will follow the publisher’s efforts to bring it back to life with the help of volunteer reporters.

Daniels will serve as an executive producer alongside Michael Koman, Howard Klein, Ben Silverman, and The Office creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. However, Steve Carell, who played Michael Scott, has confirmed that he will not be returning for the new series.

The main cast of the show includes Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Melvin Gregg, Chelsea Frei, Ramona Young, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Tim Key, and Eric Rahill. Recurring cast members feature Duane Shepard Sr., Allan Havey, Nate Jackson, Mo Welch, Nancy Lenehan, Molly Ephraim, and Tracy Letts.

As you can see, we’re dealing with a completely new cast here and it’s unlikely that the former cast will return in major roles, but keep in mind that recently we did cover rumors that Oscar Nuñez might return to the spinoff.

Now Brian Baumgartner, better known to fans as Kevin Malone addressed the possibility of reprising his role. He admitted he’s unsure if the show’s format would allow for Kevin’s return but expressed hope that his character is still working at the bar near Dunder Mifflin.

While uncertain about a potential appearance, Baumgartner shared his excitement for the new series and praised creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman.

“Uh, That’s interesting…I don’t know what the rules are there in the new show, or where Greg [Daniels] sees Kevin.” Baumgartner said. “I hope Kevin’s still working at the bar right around the corner from Dunder Mifflin. I hope he’s still there, so I don’t know about a trip to the Midwest, or who knows maybe those guys need to write a story about the people in Scranton and come in.“

“I have no idea, but look, I’m really excited, as I’m sure everyone is, to see what they’ve come up with.” he added, “Michael Koman and, of course, Greg Daniels, [are] genius, so I’m sure that it’s going to be a lot of fun for people.”

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