You don’t get to be a show as iconic as The Office without encountering some cross-promotional madness. As NBCUniversal is the home to both Michael Scott and Gru from the upcoming movie Minions: The Rise of Gru, it’s kind of amazing that it took this long for Steve Carell’s iconic roles to collide. While he enjoyed the results this time, Carell does have some strong feelings about any attempted Minion-ized remakes of full episodes.
You may be laughing at the notion, but it’s a possibility inspired by Universal releasing a video where the entire opening to the NBC hit sitcom is re-enacted by the Despicable Me crew. So the thought of “Garden Party,” or any of the other best episodes of The Office, didn’t just come out of thin air.
I took part in the Minions: The Rise of Gru press day and asked Steve Carell if he had an episode he’d love to see Minion-ized. Responding to that concept, Carell shared these firm, but loving thoughts with CinemaBlend:
I think what they did with that promo was probably the perfect amount of time, and the perfect sequencing of Minions as Office inhabitants. I think the way they did that was just right. I don’t think it would sustain an entire episode, to be honest with you.
The point that Steve Carell made above is absolutely valid, especially when contemplating how many times “That’s what she said!” might be translated into the gibberish language that dominates sections of Minions: The Rise of Gru. Not to mention, as you can see in the video simply titled “Minions Opening Credits - The Office US,” the whole Jim and Pam storyline pretty much fizzles out in one single moment:
While Steve Carell’s concern only stretches to turning one Office episode into a Minions adventure, it’s the extended concern of robbing those stories fans love of their charm that really kills this idea. Not to mention, could you imagine how much it would cost to adapt a full episode? The animation budget alone would be murder.
Though it's a fun joke for the purposes of promoting Minions: The Rise of Gru, even dreaming of which stories from The Office could be adapted isn’t in the cards for Steve Carell. Although, since Despicable Me 4 is set for a 2024 release, there’s a possibility that another short video could come about to push that film’s profile higher. It may not have to be related to The Office, as Carell’s best performances run a wide range of projects.
For all we know, the reunion of Steve Carell and Alan Arkin in Minions 2 could yield a future fake trailer for a Minion-ized Little Miss Sunshine. Thankfully, if it's connected to the Despicable Me universe, then there's more human cast members that could be included in the proceedings. Which would also depend on whether Arkin's Wild Knuckles character is brought back in any future Despicable Me related projects.
It's a head-spinning concept to take in, but Steve Carell fans can forget all of that and rejoice! You can catch the entire Despicable Me universe, and every episode of The Office, in one place. If you’re a Peacock Premium subscriber, then you’re all set! Except if you want to see Minions: The Rise of Gru, which debuts exclusively in theaters this weekend.
