Ricky Gervais: The creator of The Office, it was inevitable that his name would come up. Obviously, he’d be great. But we’ve already seen him play that part. If Gervais wanted to play David Brent again, he’d make another season of the UK version. He writes his own roles – it’s hard to see him spending a season or two performing somebody else’s scripts. In fact, he’s even said that he met with NBC but isn’t interested in the role. So we can reluctantly write him off.
Danny McBride: Another name that’s come up a lot. I have mixed feelings about McBride joining The Office. He’s
one of the funniest actors around, and his usual screen persona would be a fantastic addition to Dunder Mifflin. The clueless bravado of a Fred Simmons or a Kenny Powers would be fun to see. I would absolutely love it. However, I can’t get behind anything that means a longer break between seasons of Eastbound and Down. Sure, Steve Carell balanced The Office with a movie career, but Danny McBride is already doing movies as well as writing and starring in his HBO series. As much as I want him to run afoul of Dwight, or reunite with Darryl (Craig Robinson worked with McBride in Pineapple Express and made a guest appearance on Eastbound), I don’t want to see Kenny Powers’ story get derailed.
