The Big Picture
- Joel McHale confirms the Community movie is fully funded and expected to shoot next year.
- McHale takes responsibility for the project's delays, not Donald Glover.
- The movie's script was completed by series creator Dan Harmon, and a release date has not been set yet.
It's been nine long years since Community went off the air, never fulfilling the second half of its promised "six seasons and a movie." That movie has been announced, but progress has been slow so far. But star Joel McHale, in a new interview with GQ, has a big update on the much-delayed project - it's fully funded, and should shoot next year.
McHale says that while the movie hasn't shot yet, "It will be. And I don’t have a definitive update because we thought for a moment it was going to all happen this year, and then it didn’t. But we have the money, and that is a huge step. And hopefully, people still want to see it. And Peacock’s paying for it. And so I can’t wait to do it. I’ll say vaguely next year. How about that?" He claims that he is responsible for the delays on the project - and not, as many have speculated, the ever-busy Donald Glover. Says McHale, "If it’s anybody’s fault, it’s my schedule on this one. It’s not his at all. He was available."
Why Do 'Community' Fans Want Six Seasons and a Movie?
CloseIn the second-season Community episode "Paradigms of Human Memory", pop-culture enthusiast Abed (Danny Pudi) becomes obsessed with the short-lived NBC superhero series The Cape - when Jeff (McHale) tells him that it's going to be canceled after three weeks, Abed insists that it's going to run for "six seasons and a movie." Although Jeff was largely correct - The Cape was canceled after ten episodes - "six seasons and a movie" became a rallying cry for fans of the cult sitcom as it dodged cancelation, even migrating to the now-extinct Yahoo! Screen streaming service for its sixth and final season. Series creator Dan Harmon has often agitated for a reunion movie, and has now completed the script for the project. It looked like the "prophecy" would finally be fulfilled when the movie was officially greenlit last year, with filming to take place in the summer, but the combined SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes delayed it.
Although you won't be able to see him reprise his role as Jeff Winger just yet, McHale currently stars as Frank Shaw on the Fox sitcom Animal Control, which was renewed for a third season earlier this year. He also recently reprised his guest role as Chef David on the just-released third season of The Bear.
The Community movie is tentatively scheduled to film next year; no release date has yet been set. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Community
A suspended lawyer is forced to enroll in a community college with an eccentric staff and student body.
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