The Office Star Says He's Returning All Kickstarter Donations For Failed Spin-Off

Back in 2020, The Office (US) star Leslie David Baker launched a Kickstarter for a spinoff themed around his character of Stanley Hudson, asking for a goal of $300,000. After several fans posted on social media wondering what exactly happened to the project, Baker announced that he's refunding the project's backers in part due to the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes.

The proposed spinoff was titled "Uncle Stan," and it would've followed Stanley as he came out of retirement to help his a nephew's "motorcycle/flower shop business" in Los Angeles. The Kickstarter ended up raising $336,450 according to its page, but Baker claims that the creators only received $110,629.81 from the platform, and he further said that they were "never used for any purposes other than reward fulfillment and backer refunds."

In a statement obtained by Variety, Baker said that the project initially stalled due to COVID lockdowns, but that "pre-production" has now been sidelined due to the dual strikes in Hollywood at the moment. He further stated that he intends to make the show once these situations are resolved, and that the Kickstarter fan rewards and perks will still be fulfilled at some point.

“We apologize about the delay in updates,” that statement reads in part. “We have been working behind the scenes to get everything on track and rewards fulfilled. We are just as excited as all of you to get this project out and truly appreciate all of your patience and support. The project took longer than anticipated due to circumstances beyond our control.”

In other The Office news, an Australian version of the show has been announced, starring comedian Felicity Ward.