Community creator Dan Harmon revealed what fans can expect in the upcoming film that will serve as a continuation of the beloved TV series.
On an episode of Six Seasons and a Podcast, Harmon confirmed the anticipated Community film won’t feature any paintball or Dungeons & Dragons, both of which were the highlights of several cherished special episodes of the show. Explaining his thought process behind the decision, Harmon shared, "For instance, we go, 'Do we really think it’d be a good idea to be a paintball episode?' It's one of the first things to rule out because it's the first thing off the top of your head, and that's an issue with the Community movie concept." He added, "We did a lot of episodes where you are joyfully locked into a construct that isn't a traditional sitcom narrative, but is rather through the lens of David Fincher or Martin Scorsese."
Harmon believes the paintball episodes were meant to be genre homages, and though many of them were made during the course of the show's six seasons, nothing was able to "capture the joy of the original paintball episode."
Harmon also shared that the rise of school shootings would be a significant issue for a paintball battle to feature in the film. "You're running around with guns in a school, which was never a good idea on TV even back then," he said. "How can we do that in a way that's acceptable? You sit down to write the movie and you're like, 'So, we'd do that right?' Because it's so emblematic of what made our show special and the triumphs we had, the things we contributed as a show. Or we'd play Dungeons & Dragons for 90 minutes. I kinda gotta rule that out — maybe a better writer wouldn’t," Harmon said.
The Community Movie Is Finally Happening
The acclaimed writer and producer confirmed the film won't return to Greendale but will instead take place during a one-night reunion between all the characters. He also offered information about where we’ll find these characters nearly seven years later saying, "They haven’t been together in a long time, but it’s not because they swore each other off…there’s a reason to get together and there’s a reason they have to stay together."
The Community film was announced by Sony Pictures TV and Peacock in September this year. It is expected to air on Peacock in 2023, though an official release date hasn't been confirmed yet. A majority of the original Community cast members will be returning, including Joel McHale (Jeff Winger), Alison Brie (Annie Edison), Jim Rash (Dean Craig Pelton), Gillian Jacobs (Britta Perry), Ken Jeong (Ben Chang) and Danny Pudi (Abed). Donald Glover's Troy Barnes is also expected to return.
Source: Six Seasons and a Podcast, via Variety