Scranton, Penn., is about to get “classy.”
Will Ferrell is heading to “The Office.”
The “Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgandy” star has signed on to guest star in a four-episode arc on the NBC series as a branch manager who arrives from the corporate home office, entering the fray and causing trouble.
(TODAYshow.com is a part of msnbc.com, which is a joint venture between NBC Universal and Microsoft.)
“We found Steve Carell when he was nothing but a movie star and we turned him into a television star,” executive producer Paul Lieberstein said in a statement. “We are proud to continue ‘The Office’s’ tradition of discovering famous talent, and we hope that once America gets a good look at Will, they’ll see what we see: tremendous raw sexuality.”
According to NBC, which confirmed the news, Ferrell’s character will be “just as inappropriate” as Michael Scott, the office manager played by the departing Carell, who will be leaving the show sometime before the end of the season.
It was unclear at press time if Ferrell’s visit to Scranton would tie in with Carell’s departure.
With Ferrell heading in as a boss from the top, could he possibly be tied into Carell’s exit and the search for a Michael Scott replacement?
Of course, Ferrell and Carell have shared the screen before.
Carell played Brick Tamland in the 2004 movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy,” alongside Ferrell’s title character. Brick was the dimwitted but loyal weatherman for San Diego’s KVWN news team in the fictional film.
“The Office” airs on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. on NBC.