Steve Carell Says He 'Can't Wait' to Work with Former 'Office' Costar John Krasinski on Upcoming Film

Steve Carell and his former costar John Krasinski are joining forces once again — and Carell plans on having some tricks up his sleeve for his friend.

The two alums of hit sitcom The Office will be working on an upcoming film, Imaginary Friends, (formerly titled If), which "is based on Krasinski's original idea about a child's journey to rediscover their imagination," according to Deadline. It's set to premiere on Nov. 17, 2023, and Krasinski, 42, is not only directing, but also writing, producing and starring in the production.

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight's Will Marfuggi, Carell, 59, said, "Well, I haven't started working on the film with him yet, but I can't wait. I'm anticipating just joy and fun. I mean, he's the best, and he's a great director."

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And Carell certainly anticipates adding to his workload. Said the Evan Almighty actor jokingly, "I'll put him through his paces, you know? I'll make him work for it. I might be one of those persnickety actors that doesn't always agree or won't come out of my trailer."

"You think you hired somebody that is a friend, but you got that wrong!"

Carell and Krasinski starred together on The Office for seven seasons until Carell left the show in 2011, (though he made a final appearance in 2013).

And while this will be Carell and Krasinski's first professional collaboration since the show, they did interact virtually over video chat in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic to celebrate the series' 15th anniversary in a segment on Krasinski's YouTube show Some Good News.

Looking back at their time together, Carell told Krasinski (who played salesperson Jim Halpert), "Some of the most fun memories, personally or professionally, are intertwined and connected with that show."

And his former costar agreed, saying, "Without a doubt. Listen, I know everyone's talking about a reunion, hopefully one day, we just get to reunite as people. And just all get to say hi."

Currently, Carell is starring in the upcoming film Minions: The Rise of Gru, reprising his role as Gru. On Tuesday, the comedic actor spoke with Fox about his character and the difference between a child asking him to do the villain's voice and an adult asking him.

"The weirder thing would be a grown adult asking me to do Gru," Carell said. "Most kids don't associate the face to the voice and it's almost more disconcerting to hear the face that you're not expecting make that sound."

"I do leave, for friends, voice messages for their kids as Gru. That's always fun."

Minions: The Rise of Gru hits theaters July 1.