UPDATED 8/22, 10 p.m. ET: Community creator Dan Harmon weighed in on Alison Brie’s remark about the beloved sitcom delivering the final piece of its “Six Seasons and a Movie” mantra.
“I’ll confirm what Alison said which is that legitimacy is here, conversations and agreements are happening,” Harmon told the Wrap. “There’s a story—who knows if we’ll end up sticking to it, but it was something we had to compile in order to take it out and court various venues. And now negotiations happen.”
For a show like Community, which spent its first five seasons on NBC before finding a new home on Yahoo! Screen for Season 6, Harmon knows better than to assume what the future holds regarding a potential move to the big screen, admitting that he cannot put a timetable on when it will happen.
“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?” he said. “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.”
Despite expressing an air of caution, Harmon seemed confident enough to declare that a Community movie is “a matter of when and not if.”
“When you put the percentage chances together it’s like you have to account for maybe the world blowing up or another virus happening,” he said. “But as far as the industry is concerned, this is a matter of when and not if, for sure.”
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New word has arrived about a possible Community movie.
Series star Alison Brie shared an update during a forthcoming episode of WrapWomen’s UnWrapped podcast. “You know what, I’ll say it. There’s been movement,” she said, per the Wrap. “There’s been some talks. People are talking and certain things—wheels are turning. I said it!”
The alum of Mad Men and Glow continued, “I’m saying there are legitimate conversations that are happening. Whether or not they will ever turn into an actual movie—I would love it if they did, and I hope that they do. But the fact alone that actual real conversations are happening is I think the most progress we’ve ever made on that front.”
Joel McHale, Brie’s costar on Community (all six seasons of which are streaming on Netflix) also commented on a potential film in June, telling ComicBook his optimism has reached new heights. “I’m setting aside all the money to make [the Community movie] happen,” he said. “Before, when I’d answer the question [of if it’s possible], I’d be like, ‘Maybe, I have no idea.’ But now, with its success on the streamers during the pandemic, the interest has returned. I would say it’s more likely than it was before, definitely, but it’s like building an aircraft carrier.”
Series creator Dan Harmon previously commented on a movie revival, saying last summer that he “formalistically” feels like fans are owed a feature film—but one that can be watched outside the context of the series. He wants fans to be able to “stand back and go, ‘You know, the crazy thing about this movie is that if you didn’t know there was a show, this is an insanely good movie.’”
