EXCLUSIVE: Departing Office star Steve Carell is staying in the NBC comedy business as a writer. The Peacock has bought a half-hour, single-camera project from the actor-comedian based on his early days working as a mail carrier in Littleton, Massachusetts. Carell — who is leaving The Office in May after seven years — will write the comedy, tentatively titled The Post-Graduate Project. It is described as a sweet and nostalgic take on the period of Carell’s early life as a mail carrier and centers on a small-town post office frequented by a quirky but tight-knit group of local twentysomethings. Carell has referred to his experience as a mailman in interviews, saying that he quit after a few months because his boss told him he was not very efficient. Carell will executive produce The Post-Graduate Project with Thom Hinkle (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart). Carell’s Carousel Television will produce with Universal Media Studios where it is in the midst of a three-year overall deal. Carousel TV is also behind NBC’s reboot of The Rockford Files with House creator David Shore, which is back in the works. WME-repped Carell, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Michael Scott on The Office, co-wrote with Judd Apatow the 2005 hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which earned them a WGA nomination. His TV writing credits include The Dana Carvey Show and 2 episodes of The Office. Michael Ausiello is contributing to Deadline.com and Movieline.com as he preps for the launch of a new TV-centric website.