If you thinkJohn Krasinskiwould be the tough get to return for aThe Officereunion, you’re wrong. The actor, writer, and director says he’d be eager to reprise his role as Jim Halpert in a heartbeat. Krasinski made waves with the now-iconic role on the NBC sitcom for nine seasons, but he’s since moved on to great success on the bigandsmall screen. His role inMichael Bay’s13 Hoursfinally convinced audiences he could be seen as a different kind of leading man, and he’s now the face of Amazon’s insanely popularJack Ryanseries, which is in preparation work for its third season.
But Krasinski is also now a very in-demand filmmaker. He’s directed features before, but his 2018 horror filmA Quiet Placewas his first true blockbuster. He’s back at the helm for the sequelA Quiet Place Part II, and while that and his family are keeping him plenty busy, he toldEsquirein a recent interview that he has no hesitations about reprising his role as Jim Halpert:
“The Officewas absolutely everything to me. I mean it is my beginning and my end. I’m pretty sure at the end of my career I’ll still be known for Jim. That was my first experience with Hollywood. It was the first creative family I’ve ever had,” he tells me. “In many ways, they will always be the most important people in that most important experience in my career. So yeah, if they did a reunion, I would absolutely love to do it.”
Most of the show’s cast members have been similarly positive about the prospect of a reunion, butSteve Carellhas been staunchly against bringing back Michael Scott—and for good reason.Carell said in 2018that he fears a reunion couldn’t live up to expectations:
“I just can’t see it being the same thing, and I think most folks would want it to be the same thing, but it wouldn’t be. Ultimately, I think it’s maybe best to leave well enough alone and just let it exist as what it was. You’d literally have to have all of the same writers, the same producers, the same directors, and the same actors, and even with all of those components, it just wouldn’t be the same. So, no. But, I love the show. It was the most exciting time, and all of those people are my friends. We all love it. It was a special thing. It was a special thing before people thought it was a special thing. It was special to us, before other people started feeling that way. But, no.”
Carell has, however, reunited withThe OfficeshowrunnerGreg Danielsfor the upcoming Netflix comedy seriesSpace Force, which is nearly done filming. Whether working with Daniels again has changed his mind or not, a reunion is possible without Michael Scott.
The Officeco-stars and real life BFFsJenna FischerandAngela Kinseyare revisiting the series episode-by-episode in the podcastOffice Ladies, so perhaps between that, Krasinski’s insane fame, and the continued popularity of the show on Netflix, some sort of reunion special could happen sooner or later. YouknowNBCUniversal wants one to put on their upcoming streaming service Peacock.
Here’s hoping. For now, look back on the series withour ranking of the show’s top 50 episodes.
