The Office Season 9 Photo Has The Cast In A Giant Game Of Chess

It's game on at Dunder Mifflin in this promotional photo for the ninth and final season of NBC's The Office. NBC released some key art for Season 9 and it looks like things are getting pretty cutthroat among the Dunder Mifflin staff. Then again, they're no strangers to shenanigans or the occasional act of violence.

The photo below reminds me a little of the key art for Revenge last season, except on that chess board, everyone was a bit more poised. The Office characters seem to be having much more fun with their game.

Daryl is king! At least, he's wearing the crown. Meanwhile, Andy looks like he's in serious trouble as Dwight raises a sword. Meredith is down for the count (no surprise there) and Phyllis has someone down. Who is that? It looks like Andy, but he's up front in a headlock. The only guess I have is Ryan, but I can't be sure. (BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling are both stepping down as series regulars. Kaling is most definitely not pictured here.) Am I just forgetting someone from last season? Any guesses?

Jim and Pam are clutching one another. Meanwhile, as is often the case, H.R. rep Toby appears to be looking the other way, probably choosing not to witness the mayhem.

The Office returns for Season 9 on Thursday, September 20 on NBC.

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.