Since Steve Carell announced his departure from 'The Office' the race has been on to find a replacement for his character, Michael Scott, as the manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder-Mifflin.

Speculation's rife about who will step up to the plate, and just about every guest star in the current season has been linked with the top job. Most recently, we reported that 'Office' creator Ricky Gervais could be taking over from Carell, but now even more names have been added to the ever-expanding list of nominees.

The upcoming Season 7 finale was already set to be a star-studded affair, with Gervais, Will Arnett and Will Ferrell all having booked guest slots. However, according to TVLine.com, yet another comedic trio has signed on for the episode -- Ray Romano, James Spader and Catherine Tate -- and now they're all being linked with the top job.

Is there a grain of truth in the rumors, or is it all just smoke and mirrors?

Although details of the finale remain sketchy, Gervais recently let slip that his character, David Brent, would be interviewing for the manager's position. Could all the guest stars be playing interview candidates? And which one, if any, will get the coveted manager's job?

Gervais hasn't denied reports that he'll be taking over, despite previously saying he's not interested.

The two Wills seem to be out of the running. Arnett's been on a losing streak recently with his lead role in the quickly cancelled 'Running Wilde' so network execs may not be willing to risk handing 'The Office' over to him. Plus, he's just signed on to costar with Christina Applegate in NBC's Lorne Michaels comedy pilot.

Although Ferrell has said that he'd love to increase his current guest-starring story arc to a fulltime role for Season 8, his reps have denied reports that he will.

Romano seems unlikely as he's currently committed to a fulltime gig on his TNT series, 'Men of a Certain Age.' However, no premiere date's been announced for Season 3 yet, so he could be a possibility.

On the other hand, both Spader and Tate seem to have lots of time on their hands. Spader's role on 'Boston Legal' exposed his previously underused comedic talents, and since the series ended in 2008 he's largely been absent from TV screens. Similarly, 'Doctor Who' star Tate has popped up in only a handful of guest appearances and seasonal specials since she handed back her key to the TARDIS in 2010.

Or, this could all be misdirection on the part of the writers and actors, and Carell's real replacement could be none of the above. For now, it seems that we'll have to wait and see what happens in the finale.

'The Office' airs Thursdays, 9PM ET on NBC.

Who would you like to see take over from Steve Carell in 'The Office'?