A Totally Official Guide to Who Is Officially Returning for the ‘Community’ Movie
It's been nearly two years since Peacock got the Community fandom’s hopes up, greenlighting the long-awaited feature-length film sequel of the cult NBC sitcom. But, filming still hasn't started, and while the double Hollywood union strikes in 2023 may have been partly to blame, Community has only ever been cursed by turmoil.
Community creator Dan Harmon was ousted after Season Three due to his “erratic behavior” and “oddball leadership style,” only to be reinstated before Season Five. Then, Community was canceled by NBC due to poor ratings after the fifth season, and picked up by Yahoo! Screen for the sixth and final chapter. And, throughout all that turmoil, core cast members came and went — including Chevy Chase, Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Brown and John Oliver.
Needless to say, Community hasn't been lucky, but the fandom continues to loudly chant the show’s ongoing joke — which has now broken the fourth wall — “Six seasons and a movie!” So, is it happening? Honestly, we can’t know for sure, but here’s who claims they’re going back to Greendale Community College’s alumnae reunion on the big screen…
Chevy Chase (Pierce Hawthorne)
Well, we know the answer to this one. Saturday Night Live and National Lampoon vet Chase had various on-set issues with the cast and crew of Community. His most egregious offenses, like saying a racial slur and making racist comments toward Glover, were some of the many reasons why the actor was booted from the show before the end of Season Four. As far as whether or not he's returning, former castmate Joel McHale has made it clear that it’s not a remote possibility. “I don’t think he’s allowed to (return),” McHale told The New York Post. “I don’t think it would happen. I don’t think (him returning) is a thing.”
Joel McHale (Jeff Winger)
Speaking of McHale, he’s definitely on board, and has gone on the record saying that the only reason why the film hasn’t started shooting yet is because of conflicts with his Animal Control schedule. “We have the money, and that is a huge step. And hopefully, people still want to see it. And Peacock’s paying for it. And so I can’t wait to do it. I’ll say vaguely next year. How about that?” he recently told GQ.
Donald Glover (Troy Barnes)
As of February, Glover still hadn’t read Harmon’s script for the Community movie, but fans of the multi-hyphenate talent can rest easy about whether or not he’ll be reprising his role in The Greendale Seven. “It’s really just a schedule thing,” Glover admitted of the delays to his official return announcement to Entertainment Tonight this past January, “(but) I’m in. I’m all in.”
Ken Jeong (Señor Ben Chang)
McHale confirmed last year on a Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance that Jeong is in the (maybe) forthcoming Community movie. (McHale had previously called the project “a family reunion but without a-holes,” a likely dig at Chase.)
Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley Bennett)
Brown, a longtime champion of the show transitioning into a movie and a staunch defender of her Community character, finally has made her inclusion in the film official. She told Parade this past week while promoting her new caregiving podcast that “(the Community movie) will happen!” “We don’t know when, but I’m on board,” she added. “And that might be a scoop because for the longest time, it wasn’t confirmed. It was going to happen this June, but everything got pushed because of the (SAG-AFTRA) strike last year.”
Jim Rash (Dean Craig Pelton)
In an interview last month with Screen Rant, Rash confirmed that while he is part of the project, there’s been a lot on everyone’s plates and scheduling filming has been complicated. “I feel pretty cautiously optimistic that next year is our time. It’s just a matter of (timing), with Donald and touring, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith I think has got a second season, and Joel’s on Animal Control. Thankfully all of them are so very busy, but I have faith it’ll come together.”
Alison Brie (Annie Edison)
Brie was one of the first to spill the beans on Community’s movie script status. On an appearance this past April on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, she gleefully announced: “We got a script, which is a major update. We got a script — you heard it here first.” Brie also added that while she thought it was funny, she did seem clueless about the fate of her character, Annie.
Gillian Jacobs (Britta Perry)
Jacobs revealed in an interview with CinemaBlend last year that she was attached to star along with (most) of the Greendale Seven in the Community movie, noting that she was particularly looking forward to working with Glover again because she “learned so much about comedy” from being in scenes with him on the show.
Danny Pudi (Abed Nadir)
Pudi admitted on a podcast last year that Nadir was the role he was “born to play,” and it seems like he still feels that way. Last winter, he told The Daily Beast that he was both “nervous” and “excited” to return back to the fold.
