‘The Office’ Spinoff Announces Additional Cast, Who Went Method By Shadowing Real Small-Town Newspaper Reporters

The Office spinoff cast just got bigger!

Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg and Ramona Young have all been cast in the new Peacock mockumentary series, which is rumored to be titled The Paper. They will be joining Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore, who appear to be leading the Office spinoff cast.

Palisades Post, a local newspaper based in the California town of Pacific Palisades, announced the news while revealing that the actors shadowed members of the paper’s staff to “gain a deeper understanding of the inner-workings of a local publication.”

Their roles in the show remain unclear, but the actors reportedly shadowed newspaper staff who work in ad sales, reporting, circulation and graphic design.

The spinoff series, which is being helmed by The Office U.S. creator Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, is set in the same universe as the NBC classic, but is not a reboot or remake.

Per a release from Peacock, the logline for the project reads, “The documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch is in search of a new subject when they discover a dying historic Midwestern newspaper and the publisher trying to revive it with volunteer reporters.”

Since the show is set in the same universe as Dunder Mifflin, The Office fans may be wondering if that means there will be some crossover with America’s favorite paper company. But Steve Carell sadly dispelled those rumors.

“I will be watching but I will not be showing up,” Carell told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character [Michael Scott] to show up in something like that.”

However, he praised Gleeson ahead of the new project. “I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit. I love the idea — I guess it’s set in a family newspaper company,” he continued. “And I worked with Domhnall Gleeson, who is one of the leads. I did The Patient with him and he’s an excellent actor and a super nice guy so I think it’ll be great.”

It remains unclear when fans should expect the show to premiere, but Variety reported that production was slated to begin this summer.

And there could be more casting news coming down the line. Deadline reported in May that casting will continue “with a focus on the office staff and potentially one more series lead.”