‘The Office’ Spinoff Starring Rainn Wilson In The Works For Midseason 2013 Launch
I hear that NBC is working on an Office spinoff starring Rainn Wilson for a potential midseason 2013 launch. No deals have been closed yet but I’ve learned that the proposed spinoff is a family comedy, which was the brainchild of Wilson and The Office executive producer/showrunner Paul Lieberstein. It will have Dwight (Wilson) living at the Schrute family beet farm and bed & breakfast, which have been featured on the show several times, including in an episode where Jim and Pam visited Dwight there. (photos below) The potential spinoff will be introduced in an Office episode later this season set at Schrute Farms. “Paul and Rainn have been joking for years about Dwight’s life on the farm, his family and how ill-suited he is to run a B&B,” a source close to The Office said. “A while ago, it started to feel like a show to them. NBC agreed, it’s been further developed to include multiple generations, many cousins and neighbors. (It is unclear if that would include cousin Mose who has been featured on the show.)
At its base it will be about a family farm struggling to survive and a family trying to stay together.” Wilson and Lieberstein will executive produce the spinoff with The Office executive producers Ben Silverman, who has been working with Wilson and Lieberstein on the development of the project, and Howard Klein. Greg Daniels, who developed and executive produces The Office, is not involved in the offshoot.
I hear that The Office producer Universal Television has re-opened discussions with the other key Office cast members, approaching them over the past week or so with informal offers for next season. None of the core Office cast members, including Ed Helms, John Krasinksi and Mindy Kaling, have deals for next season, and while the studio can’t formally sign the actors before there is a renewal for the show, it is trying to shore them up in anticipation of a pickup. It may not be easy to get the whole gang back together.
Here’s an update on one of the links I posted yesterday about the spin-off.
5PM UPDATE: It’s Official: It’s ‘The Office’ Un-Spin-Off. So my sources tell me showrunner Greg Daniels won, NBC lost, and all is right with the world.
Details are finally starting to emerge on NBC’s highly anticipated “The Office” spinoff — including the show’s first cast hire, Aziz Ansari of MTV’s sketch comedy “Human Giant.”
Producers are mum on Ansari’s role, but he’ll be part of a larger ensemble that executive producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur are putting together.
Watch With Kristin may have a clue as to who will be in the spin-off!
Consider this only a rumor for the time being. However, word has been rippling through the TV biz today that Rashida Jones (aka Karen Filippelli, presently of Utica, New York) may star in the upcoming NBC spinoff of The Office.
Sounds pretty amazing to this Office (and Rashida) fan, so I did a little digging, and here’s where this stands: While one inside source (who has always been reliable) says “it’s true” that Rashida will be a part of the new series, another source inside Rashida’s camp says, “As far as I know, she has not been approached.” Hmmm… To read the rest go here.
Watch With Kristin answers some questions and spoiler news about tv shows. She answered a question about ‘The Office’ spin-off. Here’s what she had to say:
Trevor in Atlanta: Is there any chance that Jim and Pam will be the Office spinoff, or part of the spinoff, since Pam is going to New York? Please say no! Steve Carell makes my heart sing by telling us: “As far as I know, nobody is leaving ship. At least at this point, from what I’ve heard, I don’t think it’s based on any of the characters from the existing show. It’s an entirely new setup with new characters.”
It took a while before some stars of The Office could appreciate that NBC was commissioning a spinoff of their cult hit — in part because they may have been among the last to learn about the new show. EW.com caught up with two members of the Office cast at the May 28 premiere of The Promotion (an upcoming independent film comedy in which Jenna Fischer stars alongside Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly). They recalled how they first heard of NBC’s spinoff plans from Office executive producer Greg Daniels. “It was like when Private Practice and Grey’s Anatomy split off,” Fischer explained. “Those people had no idea that Kate [Walsh] was leaving to do the other show until later in the process. I don’t even know if the spinoff [of our show] is set in an office. That’s how little we were told. We just aren’t privy to that kind of information as actors.” To read the rest go here.
NBC has confirmed that the title of the supersecret season finale of The Office is…wait for it…”Goodbye, Toby.” Gaaah! Could they really be letting our favorite mumbly, bumbly HR friend go? Is this the departing castmember Jenna Fischer has hinted at?
Well, according to our sources, writer-actor Paul Liebersteinis staying with The Office. Now, does that mean he’s staying on as an actor, or as a writer? Truth told, I didn’t ask because I got distracted by something shiny along the way…(Sorry, but you don’t want the finale ruined anyway, do you?)
I’ll be posting all articles, blogs and videos about Comic-Con 2008 here. NBC will be posting videos shortly. When they do I’ll post them here too.
Reminder: The Office is on NBC tonight at 9/8c with an all new episode called “The Chair Model”.
