Steve Carell speaks out after new The Office follow-up series is confirmed

The Office US star Steve Carell has weighed in on the confirmation of a spin-off series going ahead.

The legendary series first began in 2001 in the UK, featuring the likes of comedic icon Ricky Gervais - who not just starred in but co-created the series - alongside Martin Freeman, Lucy Davis and Mackenzie Crook.

The US version came out in 2005 on NBC and a follow-up series has since been announced, with Carell speaking out about how he feels about it and whether he'd ever make a return.

A follow-up series off the back of the two iconic shows before was confirmed earlier this month.

The currently untitled new Peacock spin-off from Greg Daniels and Michael Koman is set to be executive produced by Stephen Merchant - a co-creator on the original UK series alongside Gervais.

Merchant told Deadline the show is set 'within the universe of The Office, but not necessarily in the same office' and production is said to begin in July.

But what does Carell think about the series?

Steve Carell played Michael Scott in The Office US. (NBC)

Well, sorry US Office fans but Carell has revealed while he 'will be watching' the show, he 'will not be showing up' within it.

The actor told The Hollywood Reporter: "It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character [Michael Scott] to show up in something like that.

"But I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit. I love the idea - I guess it’s set in a failing newspaper company, and I worked with Domhnall Gleeson, who is one of the leads; I did [2022 series] The Patient with him and he’s an excellent actor and a super nice guy so I think it’ll be great."

And it's not taken long for fans of the show to flood to social media to share their thoughts.

Your face when you realize Carell won't be returning. (NBC)

One X user wrote: "You don't mess with perfection. There's no reason for him to come back. And I think fans would actually really upset if he came back."

Another said: "What a shame."

However, others simply won't allow themselves to believe they won't be seeing the actor on screen as part of the iconic series again.

One user speculated: "He’s definitely doing a four second cameo."

Someone else commented: "This means he’s definitely gonna be involved somehow. Even if it’s just for like three seconds."

A third commented: "He’s 100 percent popping up for a quick cameo."

Well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?