Gbemisola Ikumelo, known for her roles in Black Ops and A League of Their Own, has joined the cast of the upcoming Peacock spinoff of The Office. Along with starring, Ikumelo will also contribute as a writer on the series. She joins a lineup that includes previously announced cast members Melvin Gregg, Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, and Ramona Young.
The untitled mockumentary, created by The Office creator Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, is set in the same universe as the beloved NBC comedy. The new show follows a documentary crew—familiar to fans from their time at Dunder Mifflin—as they search for their next subject. This time, they find themselves at a historic Midwestern newspaper on the brink of closure, with its publisher attempting to revive the outlet using volunteer reporters. Further details about the characters are still being kept under wraps.
In addition to Ikumelo, other new additions to the cast include Alex Edelman (Just For Us, Unfrosted), Tim Key (The Witchfinder, This Time with Alan Partridge), and Eric Rahill (Friendship, The Bear). Edelman, and Rahill are also set to contribute as writers on the series as well.
The spinoff has an impressive roster of executive producers, many of whom were integral to the success of both the original British and U.S. versions of The Office. Alongside Daniels and Koman, executive producers include Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Howard Klein, Ben Silverman, and Banijay Americas. The series is being produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Originally premiering on NBC in 2005, The Office became a cultural sensation with its distinctive mockumentary format, quirky characters, and relatable humor. Adapted from the British series created by Gervais and Merchant, the U.S. version followed the day-to-day lives of employees at the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Over its nine-season run, The Office garnered critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase, cementing its legacy as one of television’s most iconic comedies.
As part of their preparation for the roles some of the cast visited the Palisadian-Post, a long-running bi-weekly newspaper based in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades community. According to a feature by the paper, the actors shadowed its staff to gain firsthand experience of life as local journalists.