Is Michael Scott pulling a fast one on us?

Despite declarations from NBC, Office producers and Steve Carell himself that the NBC comedy’s May 16 series finale would be Scott-free, increasing buzz suggests the Dunder Mifflin legend may turn up after all.

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Insiders tell TVLine that producers mounted an 11th hour effort last month to coax Carell into making a cameo in the show’s hour-long swan song. And while no one is confirming that the final diplomatic push proved successful, no one is denying it either.

Well, no one save for Carell’s personal rep, who tells TVLine that while his client was on set for the final episode, he did not, in fact, shoot any scenes.

On the flipside, a source close to the show cryptically teases, “Don’t rule anything out.” An NBC spokesperson, meanwhile, declined to comment.

For his part, executive producer Greg Daniels — who back in January told reporters that there aren’t “any plans for him to come back” — now appears to be taking a silence is golden stance. When TVLine approached him for comment last week, he side-stepped the question, preferring to follow NBC’s “super mysterious” lead by staying mum.

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Earlier this year, Carell shot down comeback reports when he told Access Hollywood, “I just didn’t think it was right for the character, because that character had had an arc within the story and kind of grew and sort of evolved past the idea of the documentary. I’m really good friends with everybody on the cast and with [executive producer] Greg Daniels and I want to go back to say, ‘Hi,’ certainly, before it all ends. but I just thought, in terms of the character, it didn’t make sense.”

Thoughts? Are you of the opinion that the Office finale would not be complete without a visit from M.S.?