Uh-Oh, Ed Helms May Have Just Dashed 'The Office' Fans' Dreams Of A Revival

Ever since reports came out in December that NBC was considering a reboot of The Office, fans have been speculating about what the sitcom's return to TV might entail. Would the show feature an all-new cast, or would it include some familiar faces? If the original U.S. cast's statements are any indication, though, there's a lot still up in the air. And Ed Helms' latest comments about The Office reboot don't exactly clear things up. It sounds like the actor knows about as little as fans do when it comes to what, exactly, is going on with the show.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday, Helms said that The Office's potential comeback is "all very hypothetical right now." Here's what he told ET:

"I don't know what form it would take or anything... I'm sort of agnostic. I love whatever has anything to do with that show, but it's all very hypothetical right now."

It sounds like Helms might be on board if NBC asked him to come back for the show, but he doesn't appear to have heard any details just yet. Either way, it's safe to say fans would be happy to see more of his character, Andy Bernard, on the small screen.

Still, Helms' vague statements are more promising than what some of his former costars have said about the possible revival. Steve Carell, for instance, has already said that he wouldn't return as Michael Scott, much to fans' disappointment. Back in May, Carell told Junkee that a revival is "never the same" as a show's original run. He said at the time,

"You know, it goes back to talking about that lightning in a bottle, because, and nothing against any revivals that happen, but these are never the same. You never get the same kind of energy. It would have to be exactly the same as it was to work. And it never could be. So my inclination, and I think the inclination of most people who had worked on it, would be to just leave it the way it is, and not desecrate whatever it was. Because I think it was special, and everybody who was involved with it thought it was special."

Not all of the original U.S. Office actors seem to agree with Carell, though. Last week, John Krasinski told IndieWire that if NBC asked him to return for an Office revival, he "would totally do it." He said,

"It's one of those things where I'm sure people don't believe me when I say I would totally do it, because the truth is I would totally do it."

So if the revival does happen with the some of the old cast members, Jim Halpert could be involved. Plus, in addition to Krasinski, Creed Bratton has also said he'd return to The Office if NBC asked.

"Yeah, I guess if they approached me [and said], 'Would you like to do the Creed character?' — why not?" Bratton told Bustle in February. The actor also said, though, that it might be difficult to "get the magic" of the original U.S. version right in a revival.

"If there were all these younger kids and some of us old characters still there, they brought in new people, and it was funny — would they get the magic?" Bratton said at the time. "It'd be doubtful, but it could happen. Would lightning strike twice in the bottle? I don't know."

Regardless of the cast members' mixed feelings about a potential Office return, it sounds like there are still plenty of details that need to be worked out. Comments like Helms' remarks about the revival details being "hypothetical" hint that things might still be up in the air when it comes to any new episodes of The Office. Until then, fans will just have to settle for rewatching old episodes of The Office on Netflix. For true fans, the hijinks never get old.