Community The Movie Might Be Happening!

The dream of #andamovie might actually come true

The sit-com series created by Dan Harmon is one of my favorite shows and it has seen a resurgence due to its recent re-release on Hulu and Netflix. With the world still in quarantine, many like myself have “re-binge” the series at home with nothing else to do. The show’s cast and creator recently got back together for a table read to raise funds for COVID-19 relief and getting the band back together felt nostalgic yet fresh. Many of cast talked about how it was like no time has passed and the family is back together cracking jokes about Donald Glover’s “supposed music career” and the shows probable demise over the years. What struck me the most was the fond memories that the cast had for the show and how they felt those were the “good times” and that they felt that they were creating something special. I tend to agree, the first three seasons of Community is arguably the best sit com episodes out there. While other shows take a while to find their tone and voice, ie: The Office, Friends to a degree, and Big Bang Theory. Community hit it’s stride right off the bat with Harmon’s voice giving the show a definitive tone. It also helps to have Joe and Anthony Russo producing the show. The tone of the show allows it to be meta and kind of make fun of itself and sit-coms as a whole. Which gives the whole “six seasons and a movie” line an interesting tag to the show that overall psyche. The show lasted six seasons with the show ending with a #andamovie tag, it’s hard to believe that the movie isn’t coming our way. It’s a long running joke that the movie will never happen and it has fallen into fandom mythic territory but I do believe that the movie is coming. Here are some brief reasons why:

The cast seems open to a movie and with the recent table read, it feels like most of them would want to revisit their characters for one last hurrah. No one has out right said no, though they feel like it’s a long shot to happen. With all of the cast holding fond memories of shooting the show and understanding how great the show was; it shouldn’t be a tough sell to get all of the cast back together for one last ride. With this whole COVID-19 thing still happening, what better time for the cast to rethink their position and sign onto this movie with many of their other projects delayed or on hold. While once the industry is back up and running, many of the cast’s schedule would be packed, shooting a movie of this scale should only take 3 to 5 weeks, so having the cast commit to that could be a challenge but still doable.

Dan Harmon mentioned in the table read that he is stuck at home like everyone else and had re-watched some episodes of Community. What better time to bunker down and write out a 90 page script for the Community movie than in quarantine. There’s no better time to write out this dream of his (and ours) than right now. Though Harmon is interested in writing a Community movie, he has stated a few years back that he doesn’t know where to take the story where it could feel fresh and not a rehash of the ‘greatest hits’ for the study group. Let’s hope the table read has allowed for Harmon to get the inspiration he needs to write out this movie. Everyone knows that he is quite busy with Rick and Morty, but if he does put pen to paper, who knows what could come of the theatrical showing of the study group.

Coming off the success of I don’t know…making the highest earning movies ever, the Russo Brothers have turned their attention to producing movies and have started their own production company. They have helped produce films like extraction and 21 bridges with key creatives whom they have collaborated with on Marvel movies. That means they have the opportunity to fund and produce films that they feel can succeed and there’s no way a Community movie would not be a smash hit on Netflix. The Russo’s were producers on the show before going off and directing Captain America: The Winter Soldier. They have been closely involved with the show from its early days and were great champions of its style and content. They really help bring Harmon’s story and vision on screen and the episodes that Joe and Anthony directed are among the show’s best. The Russo’s now have the capability of producing the movie by leveraging all the success they have had recently with The Avengers and the other movies they have on their resume. Joe Russo have recently said that making a Community Movie wouldn’t cost much and would be relatively easy…well get on it Joe!!

The streaming platform produces a lot of good original content with a catalogue of great shows. But Netflix has a nasty little habit of producing extensions of already established shows to bring in viewers. Whether it was El Camino, Fuller House, or Arrested Development, Netflix’s habit of producing “sequels” to established shows is well documented as many of those extended runs have become hits. Come to think of it, the Russo’s were involved with Arrested Development as well, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that which the resurgence of Community on its platform, that a Netflix Original Community movie is really out of the realm of possibility. It’s a small bet with huge reward if the movie is a hit among its viewers. If Breaking Bad gets a movie, why can’t Community?

It seems like the convergence of all these things happening means that we might be in the timeline where a Community movie will actually happen. While no one will be sure what will come after this pandemic is over, it seems like a good idea to get our hopes up about this movie as it seems like it’s very much in the realm of possibility for this movie to come to fruition. Only time will tell whether or not Harmon would be interested enough to write something, or if Netflix would be interested in having it on its platform, or if the Russo’s have enough time to be a part of it, or if the cast can fit it in their schedule. Though I choose to keep my hopes up and believe that one day, #andamovie will be a reality.

Cowin Poon • TORONTO 2020

Related posts:

Containers offer a logical packaging mechanism where applications are abstracted from the environment in which they actually run. It provides a standard way to package your application’s code…

What kinds of products did people purchase with their digital assets such as Bitcoin? In a recent survey polled over 5,452 users worldwide by Dove Wallet, asking the very first product they bought…

If my memory serves me right, the only events I recalled as a child was from when I started kindergarten. My school was a few blocks from home and I would bring my Nickelodeon lunch box with my…