THE OFFICE (NBC) - Steve Carrell ("The Daily Show," "Watching Ellie") is in talks to star in the U.S. version of the recent Golden Globe winning BBC comedy series. Carrell would play Michael Scott, the office's insufferable boss, a character based loosely on Ricky Gervais' David Brent in the U.K. version. (Gervais also took home a Golden Globe for best actor at the awards show last week.) While the network and the producers are reportedly eager to cast Carrell, he's currently attached to the Peacock's midseason comedy "Come to Papa." NBC executives are said to be looking into resolving the conflict. Meanwhile, Rainn Wilson ("Six Feet Under"), Jenna Fischer ("Undeclared") and John Kasinski have all signed onto the cast. Wilson will play an oddball named Dwight, Fischer a put-upon assistant named Pam and Kasinski a likeable character named Jim. Greg Daniels ("King of the Hill") is writing and executive producing the U.S. version, which unlike fellow import "Coupling" is not a script-by-script or character-by-character copy. Ben Silverman and Howard Klein are also executive producing the pilot, which comes from the former's Universal Network Television-based Silverman's Reveille.

 

Never seen the show, but Steve Carrell cracks me up with regular hilarity on The Daily Show

Never seen the show, but Steve Carrell cracks me up with regular hilarity on The Daily Show

Correl was funny on TDS.

 

I still think it's gonna blow-- combination of network f***ing it up and audience not being too receptive to that kind of humor. We'll see.

Correl was funny on TDS.

 

I still think it's gonna blow--  combination of network f***ing it up and audience not being too receptive to that kind of humor. We'll see.

I think it will probably fail too, especially if they try and put it on Thursday.

 

Maybe NBC should rely on producing their own series' and not rely on what worked in Brittan.