Steve Carell is going from “The Office” to the “Space Force.”
Netflix has signed on for a new comedy series named for President Donald Trump’s plan for a space-defending military branch. “Space Force” will be co-created by Carell, who starred on “The Office” as Michael Scott, and Greg Daniels, a showrunner for the former NBC hit.
Carell will star in what The Hollywood Reporter describes as a workplace comedy centered around the people tasked with creating Space Force.
Last June, Trump directed the Department of Defense to create the sixth military branch, charged with defending U.S. interests in space such as satellites. “It is going to be something so important,” the president said at the time.
While the plan doesn’t call for space troops to head for the great beyond anytime soon, Vice President Mike Pence said in August that “the time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of our armed forces, to prepare for the next battlefield where America’s best and bravest will be called to deter and defeat a new generation of threats to our people, to our nation.”
Fans of “The Office” can surely see the potential for comedy in “Space Force,” especially with the dry-witted Carell at the helm. THR reported that “The Office” is one of Netflix’s most-watched acquired series, and Carell will be paid accordingly. Sources said his salary will top $1 million per episode.
