If you are one of those fans who could watch a forever amount of The Office (the US version, of course), you likely jumped at the possibility of a spin-off show, which was announced in 2020 and, as of this week, is indefinitely delayed.
The Office star Leslie David Baker, who portrays the perpetually irritated Stanley Hudson in the cult TV show, has declared this week that he will be reimbursing the funds raised through the Kickstarter campaign. These contributions, totaling $336,450, were generously provided by 1,640 backers who supported his Uncle Stan spin-off project.
"We apologize about the delay in updates, 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 statement from The Office star reads. "The project took longer than anticipated due to circumstances beyond our control."
A couple of days ago, The Office star Leslie David Baker revealed putting his spin-off show on indefinite hold and refunding all the backers
Image credits: NBC
Back in 2020, Baker announced his Kickstarter project titled 'Uncle Stan' which received more funding from fans than anticipated
Image credits: kickstarter
The show, which aimed to follow the life of Stanley Hudson after his retirement in Florida, is currently on hold due to challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the endless strikes by WGA and SAG-AFTRA, the 65-year-old actor explained.
"As things started returning to normal and we commenced reward fulfillment and preproduction, the WGA strike was announced causing us to put things on hold again. After careful consideration, we have decided to refund our backers. In light of the current economic situation, we felt that this was the best course of action."
The spin-off was set to follow the life of Stanley Hudson after his retirement in Florida
Image credits: kickstarter
Due to the lack of updates, some skeptical supporters speculated that it might have been a scam
Image credits: pugmane
Image credits: pugmane
Others were concerned due to the fact that no one knew if the showrunners were within their rights to do a spin-off without NBC's blessing
Image credits: PodioCommentary
You can read Leslie's update on his passion project down below
Image credits: thelesliedavidbaker
Image credits: NBC
Although the project's status is uncertain, Leslie has expressed his intention to provide refunds to the Kickstarter backers while still honoring the rewards and benefits
Image credits: kickstarter
Image credits: NBC
Image credits: NBC
Since the bygone days of The Office, the 65-year-old actor has been seen in commercials and is known for voiceover roles
Image credits: Amanda Edwards
Despite the Kickstarter campaign showing over $300,000 collected from fans, Baker couldn't stress enough that that was not the final amount he and his team received.
"FYI, although the total funded amount shown on our Kickstarter campaign page was stated as $336,450.53," he wrote, "that was not the actual final amount we received."
"A large portion of backers' pledges were lowered, or completely dropped and never collected once the campaign was completed. The final amount that we received from Kickstarter was exactly $110,629.81."
While it's not clear whether Uncle Stan will see the light of day, it seems that Baker intends to proceed with his passion project in some shape or form.
Just don't hold your breath until the next update - considering the lack of news from project runners in the past, which in turn made some backers believe that they've been scammed by a loveable TV character, it's safe to assume diehard fans of The Office now have time for a rewatch or two.
Concerned fans regarded the showrunner's decision as a gesture of integrity
