'The Office' Spinoff in the Works From Star Leslie David Baker
Actor Leslie Davis Baker is looking to crowdfund an unofficial spin-off episode of The Office, as [...]
Actor Leslie Davis Baker is looking to crowdfund an unofficial spin-off episode of The Office, as NBCUniversal continues to mull over a reboot of the series. Baker's company, Caput LLC, just launched a Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of raising $300,000 for a project called "Uncle Stan: Coming Out of Retirement." It would star Baker as a close analogue of Stanley Hudson, his beloved character from all nine seasons of The Office.
At the time of this writing, Baker's Kickstarter campaign has secured just over $29,000 of the $300,000 it needs to to make "Uncle Stan." The spin-off would begin with Stanley enjoying retirement in Florida, much like he always dreamed of, when he was called to help his nephew in Los Angeles. Stan would then be roped in Lucky's business — a motorcycle/flower shop — as well as his family life. From the sound of it, the campaign is pitching a full-on series, all without officially acknowledging its tie-in to The Office.
The campaign has until Aug. 1 to reach its funding goal or else all of the money will go back to donors. A wide selection of perks come with donations, ranging from a special "thank you" in the credits if the show is made, to a chance to be an extra in the episode. Other perks include a ticket to the premiere, a zoom call with Baker himself, a producer credit on the show and a chance to be a writer working on the show. For $10,000, donors can even appear in the show itself.
The Office is one of NBC's biggest hits of the last few years, and the network is looking for ways to capitalize on it in the streaming age. The show will soon be removed from Netflix and moved over to NBCUniversal's new streaming app Peacock, which will be available everywhere later this month. According to a report by Indie Wire, the network is cooking up a reboot as well.
"The Office comes back to us in January of 2021," said NBCU Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and Digital Enterprises Bonnie Hammer. "It is my hope that we can figure what that great reboot would be. We are having conversations."
Clearly, Baker is not waiting for those conversations to play out. He has already posted several videos of himself in character, trying out some dialogue for "Uncle Stan." Fans are excited, flooding Baker's comment sections with encouragement and support.
The "Uncle Stan" Kickstarter is live now through Aug. 1. Peacock will be available to customers everywhere on Wednesday, July 15. The Office will join the streaming service in January.