Of course, there’s the chance that they might bring in somebody new. Obviously, I could come up with a lengthy wish list with no basis in reality. (What about any cast member of Lost? Or H. Jon Benjamin, who’s always awesome? Or maybe Nick Offerman could somehow double his workload and play Ron’s previous unseen brother Don Swanson?) Instead, I’ll just go through a few of the names who’ve actually been brought up by the producers and writers.
Harvey Keitel: I couldn’t even make this one up. The tough-guy (Reservoir Dogs) isn’t exactly known for comedy, but he’s a hell of an actor. A older, grizzled guy like Keitel could be a fun addition to the cast, though there’s a risk that he could seem like a Creed knock-off. It seems like any Harvey Keitel character would have to have a dark side, and Creed Bratton has cornered the market on creepy old guys at Dunder Mifflin. And he’s recognizable enough that his presence could be distracting, sort of like the way Kathy Bates always seemed like Kathy Bates, rather than a character. Regardless, I don’t see any way that ol’ Harvey would suddenly decide that TV comedy is the way to go. I think we can rule him out.
