'The Office' gets a visitor from 'Heaven' ... but he's not the replacement for Steve Carell, either

In an attempt to try and make fans of The Office forget about the only question on their minds -- Who will replace Steve Carell? -- creators of the NBC comedy have been dishing out a slew of teasers and casting news for the upcoming season.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the latest workplace gossip is that Stephen Collins, a.k.a the father of faith from the long-running family drama 7th Heaven, is set to guest star as Andy Bernard's (Ed Helms) father.

The actor, who was last seen on NBC's ill-fated No Ordinary Family, tweeted his compliments for the eclectic cast, calling them a "ridiculously fun & talented group." He even gave a shout-out to Rainn Wilson, who plays the neurotic Dwight on the mockumentary, but who worked with Collins during his first job.

Collins' casting news comes on the heels of the comedy promoting season finale breakout guest star James Spader to Dunder Mifflin CEO. Spader won't replace Carell's former branch manager Michael Scott, but rather Kathy Bates' recurring boss.

In fact, Spader recently spilled to Entertainment Weekly that the creators aren't necessarily looking to find a new boss.

“They didn’t just want to bring in a new Michael Scott. There’s not an attempt to fill those shoes,” Spader said. “That is something that I think they’re allowing a certain amount of flexibility on, not unlike the end of last season. The show is very balanced right now and they want to utilize the ensemble cast.”

Spader's comments seem to help validate the rumors that producers could be looking to promote from inside -- Andy, Dwight and John Krasinski's Jim have all been suggested as possible managers.

Fans will have to wait and see, but not for that much longer. The Office returns September 22.