TV & Movies

Community movie: Returning cast members, 2023 release, everything we know

Brad Norton  ❘   Published: 2023-07-03T11:15:23  ❘   Updated: 2023-07-03T12:15:38NBC

Six seasons and a movie. The prophecy is finally coming to fruition as a full-fledged Community movie is officially happening. From early cast details to a production schedule, here’s everything we know thus far about the highly-anticipated film.

12 years ago a prophecy was foretold. Abed Nadir first mentioned the idea of ‘six seasons and a movie’, but not in reference to Community. Nonetheless, fans ran with this gag and before long, it took on a life of its own. Through years of turmoil, cancellations, and shuffles with new production companies, writers, and showrunners, fans continued to sound the horn.

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The unrelenting desire for Community to receive six seasons and a movie circulated all across social media for years and while the show itself came to an end in 2015 with, you guessed it, a sixth season on Yahoo!, rumors have continued to swirl ever since on a possible movie. Now, it’s officially going ahead.

An actual Community movie is in the works to fulfill the prophecy and answer the demand from the audience and it should be coming sooner than you might expect. So to get you up to speed, here’s everything there is to know about the Community movie ahead of its release.

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Contents

Is there a release date for the Community movie?Who’s in the Community movie?Do we know the plot of the Community movie?Will this be the end of Community?Is there a Community movie trailer yet?

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After seven years in the dark, Community fans are finally getting everything they asked for.

Does the Community movie have a release date?

At the time of writing, the Community movie does not yet have a solid release date locked in. Though that’s not to say we don’t already have a rough idea of when to expect this one.

Initial talks outlined a production schedule slated for the second half of 2023, with a late 2023 release in mind. Though it’s worth taking that information with a grain of salt. Given the unforeseen Writers Guild Strike, a spanner has been thrown in the works for the Community movie.

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“We had a shooting date coming up, which was going to be in the summer,” Joel McHale said in an interview with Variety. “I think they were extremely close to — I mean, Dan is somebody that tweaks things, but, obviously, that’s all stopped. But I think it was pretty darn close. It was close, the shoot date was coming up, and we were all excited to do it, and then the writers’ strike happened, which obviously put everything on hold, and rightfully so. The writers are asking for very reasonable things. Writers need to be paid properly.”

Donald Glover also that things were heating up before the strike, claiming that while scripts hadn’t been sent out as of April, filming was supposed to get underway soon.

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So for now, there’s no telling when the Community movie may get back on track. Though if the strike continues for another few weeks or months, it could set things back to Summer 2024.

Currently, it appears a digital launch is planned on the Peacock streaming platform, though there’s no word on a proper theater run.

We’ll be sure to update you here as and when a proper release date is announced for the Community movie.

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Who’s in the Community movie? Early cast details

Considering there’s still a few months to go before filming gets underway, an exact lineup of returning cast members for the movie is yet to be confirmed. Though as you would expect, it’s almost guaranteed a majority of the original cast returns to their roles once again but this time, on the big screen.

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Notably, Joel McHale is naturally reprising his lead role and during a recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel, spotted by Collider, he also let slip Ken Jeong will be back too. Beyond that, nothing else has been made official, but we expect to see the likes of Danny Pudi as Abed, Gillian Jacobs as Britta, Alison Brie as Anni, Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley, and Jim Rash as the Dean, all staples throughout the show, returning for the film.

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As for fan favorites in smaller roles, it’d be a sin not to incorporate characters like Star-Burns, Magnitude, and even John Oliver as Professor Ian Duncan, in some capacity.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the return of former series regular Donald Glover as Troy, his appearance was mostly a mystery until the actor himself spilled the beans. Given his blow-up in more ways than one since his time earlier in the show’s lifespan, having gone on to become a household name as an actor, musician, and a writer, fans were unsure if he’d be able to fit the Community movie into his schedule, or if he even wants to come back in the first place, given he departed halfway through Season 5 and missed all of Season 6.

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But now, we can seemingly lock in Troy’s return in the upcoming movie, as Glover all but confirmed his Community return in an April interview with GQ. “We’re supposed to be shooting it soon,” he said, outlining his involvement.

One name we can seemingly rule out is Chevy Chase as Pierce Hawthorne. Given his messy exit from the show in Season 4, one that saw him clashing with creator Dan Harmon over creative differences, and one that eventually led to him using a racial slur in the midst of production, Chase was dropped and never let back in. Thus, there’s no reason fans should expect this bridge to be mended in time for the Community movie.

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What will the Community movie be about?

As of yet, there are no official details on the plot of the upcoming Community movie. Given the broad range of topics covered across six seasons, we really could be in store for just about anything. Whether it’s a big-budget paintball showdown in season-ending tradition, a make-believe journey through time and space, or a more tight-knit comedic tale on Greendale campus itself, there’s nothing truly off-limits.

We’re sure to see something that incorporates the full group together though, and likely something that brings closure to their time at the Community College. More on that below.

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Does the movie mark the end for Community?

While it’s still early days for the film’s production, and no concrete details have been locked in as of yet, it would only make sense for the overarching story of Greendale Community College to wrap up with the movie. After all, once the ‘six seasons and a movie’ prophecy is fulfilled, the fanbase can finally be at peace.

So it’s entirely possible this upcoming film is the last we see of Greendale’s ragtag group on screen, closing out their run with an epic finale on a bigger scale than anything seen throughout the TV show.

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Is there a Community movie trailer?

Given the Community movie is yet to enter full production, with filming not scheduled to commence until June, there’s obviously no official footage just yet. However, once the cast appears on set and principal photography gets underway, we’re sure to see a teaser sooner than later.

Rest assured, we’ll keep you posted right here with all the latest surrounding the Community movie as new details emerge.