If Warren Buffett ran Dunder-Mifflin, you'd want to buy stock.
Too bad the Oracle of Omaha is merely pretending to want to run the Scranton, Pa., branch, for the upcoming season finale of "The Office." The legendary Berkshire Hathaway investor will appear as an unnamed applicant for Michael Scott's job, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The job opening has cropped up because Steve Carell, who plays Scott, is leaving the show.
Carell's departure has been anticipated for a year, but fans are unsure whether the show can retain its magic without him playing the hapless office boss. In the seventh season, "The Office" has already seen guest appearances by Will Ferrell and Ricky Gervais, the British comic who created the show and its progenitor in England.
The casting news means that Ferrell must not be long for the job. Ferrell, in a cameo arc, took the reins but ticked off employees. The season finale has a host of stars lined up to appear, including Gervais, Will Arnett, Catherine Tate, Jim Carrey, Ray Romano and James Spader.
Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight Schrute on the show, seems to have been passed over, despite being Scott's longtime deputy.
Any of those actors can make you laugh, but only Buffett could guide Dunder-Mifflin to the top of the Fortune 500.
Buffett, 80, is widely regarded as the most successful investor in history. His company's shares trade for more than $100,000 apiece, and fund managers around te world try to emulate his approach.
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Berkshire Hathaway shareholders got a preview of the tycoon's cameo at their annual meeting in Omaha April 30. Before the meeting started, they were shown a film starring Buffett alongside cast members of the NBC show.
Buffett has previously appeared on the television soap "All My Children" and in the movie "WallStreet: Money Never Sleeps," playing himself on both occasions.
The show airs May 19.
Selected Reading: The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times, TVSquad.
