So, the story of a family whose future was abruptly cancelled will still live on, as Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz has no choice but to keep his cast all together. Hurwitz revealed at an Emmy party over the weekend that the current plan is for the Arrested Development movie to happen soon, with a fifth season on Netflix following its release.
Before anyone starts doing a chicken dance or painting themselves blue, note that Hurtwitz’s comments negate what Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, recently told The Wrap. Sarandos hinted that it would be hard for the show to have a theatrically released story, since film distribution would be incompatible with Netflix’s mandate.
Although the film is largely expected to bring back the series ensemble, arranging for the cast to appear together while filming the fifth season could, once again, be a challenge, according to Sarandos. One of the major criticisms from Arrested Development fans regarding Season 4, which premiered on Netflix this May, was how few scenes had many of the Bluths together.
The difficult hurdle in scheduling all of the actors was a major factor in delaying the fourth season. With the actors working on the whims of their own schedules – Tony Hale only appeared in a few Season 4 episodes as Buster Bluth due to commitments with the HBO comedy Veep – here’s hoping that the forthcoming big-screen venture will be able to coordinate more family reunions.
Mad Men actor John Slattery, who appeared in three episodes in season 4 as Oscar Bluth’s oblivious friend, Dr. Norman, also confirmed that he plans to reprise his role for the feature. With AMC’s drama heading into its final 14 episodes, to be divided into a two-part season of seven episodes apiece, scheduling John Slattery will likely not be much of an issue.
Tell us, are you hopeful that an Arrested Development film will happen? Let us know in the comments below.
