Since The Office aired its final episode on May 16, 2013, Steve Carell and John Krasinski have been extremely in-demand actors, starring in a litany of A-list Hollywood blockbusters between the two of them. So it seemed like it was probably only a matter of time before their paths would cross again, and that day is finally here.
On Tuesday, the casting news was announced for Krasinski’s upcoming Paramount project IF, which the 42-year-old will write, direct, produce, and star in alongside Ryan Reynolds. In addition to Reynolds, it was reported that Alan Kim (Minari), Cailey Fleming (The Walking Dead), and Louis Gossett Jr. are now joining the film, along with Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve, Fleabag), who were previously announced.
Krasinski likewise revealed the casting news on Twitter. “Ah, what if one day I could assemble my dream cast? What… IF,” he quipped.
The project has been in development since at least late 2019, and the last update we heard was back in October when the film was titled Imaginary Friends.
At the time, the premise of the “high concept fantasy comedy” was that Reynolds’ character could see and interact with other people’s imaginational figments, however “some of them have turned to the dark side after being neglected and abandoned, forcing him into action to save the world from the evil ones.”
Although Deadline reports that details are being kept under wraps, the story is evidently still based on Krasinski’s original idea about “a child’s journey to rediscover their imagination.”
IF is slated for release on Nov. 17, 2023.