Steve Carell Really Doesn't Want To Be Part Of A Potential 'The Office' Reunion

Plenty of shows from years past are making comebacks with reunions and revivals, but the one that's in the most demand won't have one of the key parts of the series if it happens.

Steve Carell has become a huge movie star since his stint on The Office as bumbling, offensive Dunder-Mifflin manager Michael Scott, and he simply doesn't want to come back to the network series. But it's not because he's too busy with movies, and it's not even because he thinks bringing Michael Scott back in today's social climate would be difficult (though he does think that). Instead, Steve Carell simply doesn't want to try to capture lightning in a bottle again and come up short.

Speaking with Collider, Steve Carell was inevitably asked about the possibility of joining a possible reunion for The Office. Ever since he politely refused to partake in one on Saturday Night Live, despite the protests of several cast members, lots of fans have been wondering whether the possibility was actually on the horizon. While it might still come together someday, don't expect Steve Carell to be part of it. He explained why:

"I feel like I'm a broken record, talking about this because I get asked about it. The show is way more popular now than when it was on the air. 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."

Steve Carell is clearly sick of answering this question, and you can't blame him. With as many reporters as he talks to on the publicity circuit for movies, he probably gets asked about this dozens of times at every single press junket. But it's good to hear that the biggest reason he doesn't want to be part of The Office reunion is simply because he doesn't want to taint what they did before. That's respectable, and honestly, as a big fan of The Office, that would be a real concern.

But the good news is The Office will keep people laughing for years to come. Reruns are playing on Comedy Central pretty much every single day, and the show is undoubtedly one of the most popular library titles on Netflix. People are still watching it over and over again and some people are even discovering it for the first time. And that's just fine with Carell, and it also adds to his lack of desire to partake in a reunion. Carell said:

"Whether it does or doesn't, the fact that other people have found it, over the years, is really cool. It's really flattering that it's somehow caught people's attention, so many years later. But, I don't think you can recapture that same magic. I really think it comes down to that. If it was magic. I don't want to overstate it. It was just a TV show. I just wouldn't want to make the mistake of making a less good version of it. The odds wouldn't be in its favor, in terms of it recapturing exactly what it was, the first time."

You can get more laughs with Steve Carell in the terribly reviewed Welcome to Marwen, in theaters December 21, 2018.