"Six seasons and a movie" never sounded so cool (cool, cool, cool) as it did in September when the long-awaited Community movie was officially confirmed. For several years after the show's finale, the "six seasons" adage, originated by Danny Pudi's Abed, was something fans of the series held to tightly, holding out hope for a movie that wasn't ever quite confirmed as a real thing -- until recently.
Though fans can rest easier about the movie's fate, plot details are still largely unknown. However, series creator and writer Dan Harmon recently revealed what the feature won't be about. In the latest episode of Six Seasons and a Podcast, Harmon shared that fans shouldn't expect a paintball fight to occur, something the series was well-known for including. One reason he cited is the rise in school shootings, even acknowledging the optics when the show was still airing: "You’re running around with guns in a school, which was never a good idea on TV even back then." Additionally, he noted the uncertainty of capturing the paintball magic again in movie form, saying,
"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…We tried to do a bunch more paintballs, and they were all perfectly wonderful things to do, but would anything ever capture the joy of the original paintball episode?"
Furthermore, Harmon assures that Greendale won't be facing another potential shutdown, which was a massive storyline at the show's end as the group formed a "Save Greendale Committee" meant to improve, and save, the school. He expanded on this, noting that it won't be the reason everyone is together again. The movie also won't serve as a one-off reunion special, and the group will reunite for a still unknown reason.
"You’re not gonna do anything terribly clever with using the school’s demise or resurrection as a device because you don’t want too much of your movie to be spent unrecognizable…there’s a reason to get together and there’s a reason they have to stay together."
Set at Greendale Community College, Community follows former lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) who is forced to attend the school in order to obtain a legitimate degree. While there, and with some questionable motives in tow, Jeff forms a Spanish study group with an eccentric group of fellow students. During the crew's time at Greendale, they partake in chaotic shenanigans from intense paintball fights, the creation of alternate timelines, animated episodes, and much more.
At this time, McHale, Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Ken Jeong, and Jim Rash are confirmed to reprise their roles for the movie. There's still no confirmation on whether Donald Glover or Yvette Nicole Brown will return. Harmon writes and executive produces alongside Andrew Guest. Other executive producers include McHale, Russ Krasnoff, and Gary Foster.
There's currently no word on when the Community movie is set to premiere, though it will eventually debut on Peacock. In the meantime, catch up with the full series now on Hulu and Netflix, and coming soon to Peacock. Relive the show's best cameos below: