Abbas Karimjee's Weblog

Indeed, Actor James Spader will be joining the cast for the Office’s upcoming eighth season, reports Entertainment Weekly.Spader, who appeared in the season seven  finale of  The Office  as  Robert California, a manipulative yet awkward genius, who was a potential candidate for replacing Scott’s role as the regional manager of the Scranton branch.

 According to executive  producer, Paul Liberstein, “He’ll have been hired over the summer as the new manager, but within hours, got himself promoted. Within days, he took over the company”.

In another follow up interview ,Liberstein commented that although Spader’s character  has a position at corporate,  he will still be seen a great deal at the Scranton branch.However, the extent of the character’s involvement may vary from episode to episode.”Sometimes he’s in a couple of scenes, and some episodes he’s not in — but some he’s in a lot,” Lieberstein says. “I think family is a big draw for him. We’re saying he’s from the [Scranton] area, so he spends a lot of time supervising this branch.”

Liberstein also commented on the experience involved in having Spader join  the cast, indicating that” the actor has an energy that is completely his own, and The Office has no tools for dealing with this guy. We’re thrilled he’s joining our cast”.

Spader, of course has previously  appeared  as the daring  and provocative attorney, Alan Shore in The Practice and in its spinoff series, Boston Legal, where he  was bestowed with three Emmy awards for his portrayal of the character.

Spader’s arrival marks the  departure of   actress, Kathy Bates who had  portrayed the role of Sabre’s CEO, Jo Bennet ,during The Office’s sixth  and seventh seasons. Though the character of Jo’s unique personality  and strong enthusiasm may be missed by  The Office fans, the actress  can be seen on NBC’S Harry’s Law which was recently renewed for a second season.

 Given that Robert California will have been promoted, there is also still no word on who will the  regional  manager of the Scranton branch.  The characters of  Jim, Darryl and Andy  are likely possibilities , according to Liberstein.

What are your thoughts on how   Spader’s  character   will rise up the ladder  so quickly and how do you think  this will influence both the company and the  storytelling on The Office.Based on what we saw last season, what are your thoughts on how he will interact with the employees of  the Scranton branch.

 What is your reaction towards  Barry’s departure? Who would you like to see take over the Scranton Branch and why? Sound off   in the comments section, below!