Dan Harmon says the gears are turning in his head for a possible Community movie. The hit NBC series takes place at Greendale Community College and follows Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) after he has been disbarred and needs to gain his bachelor’s degree back to practice law. Once he begins attending he joins a study group that includes an eccentric cast of characters and follows their growing friendship and the wacky hijinks that happen at the school, typically filtered through a sense of meta self-awareness by Abed (Danny Pudi), the pop culture obsessed member of the group.

Community ran for six seasons from 2009 to 2015, it’s first five on NBC and the final on the short-lived Yahoo! Screen service. While the series was never a ratings juggernaut, it gained critical acclaim and a massive cult following for its clever writing, meta homage episodes, and memorable cast of characters that fans have been waiting to revisit since the sixth season wrapped. Originally a joke introduced in the series, the phrase ‘six seasons and a movie‘ became a goal for many viewers and even the creators themselves.

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According to Syfy Wire via an interview with Vulture’s Good One podcast, Harmon discussed the possibilities of a movie follow-up to Community. Harmon talks in great detail about what he wants from the film, and the creative balance between welcoming newcomers but also serving long-time fans of the series. He talks about creative challenges but also welcomes those and enjoys working on that part of the story. Harmon said:

I now only write to feel valid. But the upside of that is yes, I am, at least once a week, thinking about it, because the gears are turning. There is, like … a thing is happening. Logistically, the locks are coming away. And the only problems are becoming the creative ones, which is great, because I love those problems. I love having these conversations, and they’re being had.

Since Community wrapped, many of those involved with the series, including Harmon, have moved on to high-profile projects that could make the creation of a film difficult. Star Donald Glover, who left the series in season 5, has a successful rap career and created his own hit show Atlanta. Gillian Jacobs currently voices Atom Eve on Invincible, while Joel McHale is set to have a major role in season 2 of Stargirl. Yvette Nicole Brown currently stars on the Disney+ series The Big Shot and Danny Pudi, who played the fan-favorite Abed, is a main cast member on the AppleTV series Mythic Quest. While Netflix recently canceled the Alison Brie vehicle GLOW, there is still hope the series will also return for a film. Sadly not everyone can return, as Richard Erdman, who played Leonard, passed away in 2019.

The possibility of a movie also depends on which studio would want to distribute the film. The series was never a massive hit on the air, the commercial viability of the series turned film would be a major factor. The series was a co-production between Sony Pictures Television and Universal Television, so that means either Sony Pictures or Universal Pictures could produce the film. Since Comcast, who owns Universal Pictures and NBC, has revived the Psych franchise into a series of films for Peacock, a Community movie might feel right at home if and when Dan Harmon can crack the story.

Source: Syfy Wire

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Richard Fink is a news writer for Screen Rant. He graduated from Arizona State University in 2016 with a degree in Film and Media Production. He loves the finer things in life, like cold Diet Coke on a hot summer day. Richard is a fan of all things Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and Film History.

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