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

Six seasons and a movie! The prophecy is finally coming to fruition as a Community movie is officially in the works. From returning cast members to the earliest production details, here’s the full overview of all there is to know about the highly-anticipated film.

12 years ago a prophecy was foretold. Community’s Abed Nadir first mentioned the idea of “six seasons and a movie,” albeit not in reference to the show itself. Nonetheless, fans ran with this gag and it quickly took on a life of its own. Throughout years of turmoil, cancellations, and reshuffled production companies, writers, and showrunners, fans continued to sound the horn.

Indeed, 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 of a possible movie have continued to swirl ever since. Now, it’s officially going ahead.

Yes, a Community movie is actually in the works – and it could be coming sooner than you expect. So to get you up to speed, here’s everything we know about the Community movie ahead of its release.

Contents

• Is there a release window 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?

Does the Community movie have a release window?

The Community movie does not yet have a solid release date or window locked in. However, due to strike action and delays, we reckon it’ll be late 2025 when it finally arrives.

Initial reports indicated the production would kick off in the second half of 2023, with a late 2023 release in mind. Though these plans were quickly halted by the unforeseen Writers Guild Strike. In a June 2023 interview with Variety, series lead Joel McHale confirmed that shooting was originally slated for the summer before the strike kicked off.

Once the WGA strike reached its end in September of 2023, series creator Dan Harmon went back to working on the Community movie’s script. Harmon then told Variety that the script was “almost done,” too, which means we are getting closer and closer to concrete details.

In early 2024 Donald Glover teased the script was complete but that he hadn’t seen it yet. Co-star Joel McHale echoed as much in a March 4 Deadline interview, even revealing some of the first plot details. More on that further down. Alison Brie also chimed in during an April 9 interview, teasing that she’s “read the script, and it’s so funny.”

As for when filming itself may get underway, the plan was to start in 2024, though that appears to no longer be the case. McHale touched on this in a recent interview, with IGN quoting the star as estimating that filming will likely get underway at some point in 2024.

Months later, however, these plans were shot down. Dean Pelton actor Jim Rash commented on the production’s delays, saying he’s “cautiously optimistic that next year is our time.”

McHale then repeated as much in an interview with GQ, adding: “I’ll say vaguely next year, how about that?

“It hasn’t been shot yet. It will be. I don’t have a definitive update because we thought for a moment it was going to all happen this year, and then it didn’t. But we have the money, and that is a huge step. And hopefully, people will still want to see it.”

Should filming finally get underway in 2025, it could just squeeze in for a late 2025 release, or early 2026 depending on production schedules.

In terms of where you’ll be able to watch the Community movie when it finally arrives, a digital launch is planned on NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock. There’s no word on if a theatrical run will also happen.

We’ll update this section as and when a proper release date is announced for the Community movie.

Who’s in the Community movie? Early cast details

Several main cast members from the Community series are slated to reprise their roles on the big screen. This includes Joel McHale (Jeff), Danny Pudi (Abed), Gillian Jacobs (Britta), Alison Brie (Annie), and Jim Rash (Dean Pelton).

McHale (Jeff Winger) confirmed the above cast members in a September 2022 X post. During a subsequent interview with Jimmy Kimmel (via Collider) he let slip that Ken Jeong (Ben Chang) will be back too. Donald Glover later committed to playing Troy again in January 2023, despite his busy schedule.

Questions marks still remain over two other key members of Community’s original ensemble: Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley) and Chevy Chase (Pierce). In Brown’s case, there’s a decent chance she’ll return, given her positive comments about the production since it was first announced.

By contrast, Chevy Chase almost certainly won’t take part. Chase had a messy exit from Community Season 4, with Pierce hastily written out of the show. Since then, he’s spoken negatively about the property, insisting Community wasn’t “funny enough” for him during an appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast.

“I felt a little bit constrained… Everybody had their bits, and I thought they were all good,” Chase recalled. “It just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me. I felt happier being alone. I just didn’t want to be surrounded by that table, every day, with those people. It was too much.”

“He seems nice,” Yvette Nicole Brown later joked on Twitter.

What will the Community movie be about?

There are currently no official details available regarding the plot of the upcoming Community movie, however, we do have some early teasers to get a broad idea.

Joel McHale jokingly shared the study group is set to “go to the center of the Earth. It’s like the movie The Core.” Though it’s obviously worth taking his words with a grain of salt. Meanwhile, Donald Glover described the movie as a “college reunion.

Abed Nadir is now “this big director” and the Community film itself is said to be “his magnum opus.”

Of course, given the show’s history, just about anything is possible.

Given the broad narrative sweep of the show, we really could be in store for anything. Whether it’s a big-budget paintball showdown, a make-believe journey through time and space, or even a more tight-knit comedic tale on the Greendale campus itself, nothing is off-limits.

But regardless of what actually happens in the Community movie, it’s bound to play off the dynamic between the original show’s core characters. What’s more, it’ll likely bring closure to their time at the Community College (more on that below).

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 yet, it would make sense for the overarching story of Greendale Community College to wrap up in the movie.

After all, once the “six seasons and a movie” prophecy is fulfilled, the fanbase can finally be at peace. That said, series creator Dan Harmon is yet to officially confirm that Community’s story will end with the film, so take this speculation with a grain of salt for now.

Is there a Community movie trailer?

Given the Community movie is yet to enter full production, there’s obviously no official footage just yet. However, once 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.