It hasn’t been an easy road forCommunityfans.Dan Harmon’s beloved but persistently troubledNBCsitcom fought against middling ratings, shifting air dates, a rotating cast list, Harmon’s controversial firing (and rehiring), and even a cancellation or two in its bumpy course to live up to its self-fulfilled promise of six seasons and a movie. What started as a throwaway joke became, in rather fittingly meta fashion, a rallying call for not only the show’s vocal fans but also its persistent showrunner, who pushed against the odds to bring this jokey promise into actuality.
Now thatCommunityhas withstood adversity after adversity and lasted six whole seasons, the obvious question remains: will we finally get a movie? It has beenseven long yearssince the final episode streamed onYahoo! Screen, and with each passing day, it’s hard not to wonder if this dream is doomed to fail. But fear not. As Harmon recently revealed, the plans to makeCommunity: The Movieare finally in motion. Now, it’s just a matter of “when and not if.”
AsTheWrapreported,Alison Briehas claimed that there are “legitimate conversations” happening and Harmon concurred that “legitimacy is here.” While the showrunner is quick to stress that thisCommunitymovie is in the very, very,veryearly stages of development, there’s reportedly an outline in place, and there are also calls and negotiations happening to finally bring this film to life. Here’s what Harmon said:
I’ll confirm what Allison [Brie] said, which is that legitimacy is here, conversations and agreements are happening. There’s a story — who knows if we’ll end up sticking with it, but it was something we had to compile in order to take it out and court various venues. And now negotiations happen.
Dan Harmon Still Actively Thinking About Making A ‘Community’ Movie, Despite Its Primary Challenges
While it sounds like the film is a fluid place, story-wise, it’s clear that Harmon and company are fighting against the odds tomake it happen. Certainly, this is still good news for the fans who stuck with the show throughout each and every obstacle, along with the stars and the acclaimed creator of the show, who haven’t given up on making this movie.
Nevertheless, Harmon appears to be much more hopeful here than he usually is. TheRick & Mortyco-creator does know that saying that “theCommunitymovie is happening!” can ultimately be a recipe for disaster if the plans fall flat and more stumbling blocks come in the way. But while Harmon is quick to usher in caution, he wants to make it clear that it’s simply “a matter of when and not if” when it comes to making this movie. So, while we’re still a long way away from it happening, progress is now in motion.
Now, I say that with such caution, because sometimes the audience is like, ‘So that means what a year, two years?’ I could have said what I just said three years ago and it would have been almost as accurate, and can you imagine if I had said that three years ago? That’s me setting people up for three years of abusive neglect and making them feel forgotten, and it’s hard enough to just say nothing … When you put the percentage chances together it’s like you have to account for maybe the world blowing up or another virus happening. But as far as the industry is concerned, this is a matter of when and not if, for sure.
Alongside Brie,Joel McHale,Gillan Jacobs, andKen Jeonghave “expressed enthusiasm” at the prospect of reprising their roles in a hopefully-eventualCommunitymovie, as TheWrap reported. It should also be noted thatYvette Nicole Brownrecently told usthat she believes “it’s going to happen,” but it’s a matter of putting together “the biggest jigsaw puzzle” when it comes to everyone’s availability.
Now that the cast has branched off and done so many different projects on their own, it’s hard to know how everyone will squeeze in the time to make this movie happen. Hopefully, the cast’s continued enthusiasm will keep this fire burning alive.
Six Seasons and a Movie lives on!
If you want a trip in the Wayback Machine, check out the show’s original trailer below.
