Prepare Yourself For Steve Carell Overload

Why is Steve Carell leaving The Office? If what he’s been up to lately is any indication, it’s to make a shitload of movies. The latest news has him planning to play both a rock star and a magician in upcoming films, but those are just two of the dozen-plus films he has in the works.

There’s Burt Wonderstone, a movie about “a Vegas magician who accidentally kills his partner and must regain his mojo (or, as the logline has it, his ‘hocus-pocus focus’) while simultaneously competing with a rival.” Then there’s a remake of Of All the Things, a documentary about musician Dennis Lambert. Its synopsis: “Dennis Lambert was one of the most successful and diverse songwriter/producers of the 70’s and 80’s, with hits like “Ain’t No Woman Like The One I Got,” “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Don’t Pull Your Love,” Baby Come Back,” and “Nightshift.” Today, he’s a 60-year-old family man selling real estate in Florida. But it turns out his obscure 1972 solo album Bags and Things is huge – in the Philippines. A Filipino concert promoter has been begging Dennis to tour for decades, and in 2007 he finally agreed.”

And then there’s Crazy, Stupid Love, The Abstinence Teacher, Brigadier Gerard, Juvenile, Mail-Order Groom, A Boyfriend for my Wife, Get Smart 2, Missing Links, Raised by Wolfs and Hi-T, all of which have Carell attached in some way or another.

Look, I love Steve Carell as much as the next guy, but when you look at it honestly, he hasn’t put out a really hilarious movie since The 40-Year-Old Virgin. From Evan Almighty to Get Smart to Dinner For Shmucks, he has done a bunch of movies that have ranged from pretty bad to okay. You’ve gotta wonder if getting involved with a whole dozen movies now that he’s about to be finished with his Office obligations is going to work out all that well.

To be fair, it’s not clear how many of these movies he’ll have a major role in, and not all of them might actually happen. But it still seems like a whole lot. I suppose on the other hand, based on probability alone, at least one if them should be amazing, right?

Prepare Yourself For Steve Carell Overload