For actors and actresses, there are two very distinct venues to which they can lend their talents: television and film. Some will simply refuse to make an appearance on television, truly believing it will damage their career, while others instead utilize it to find their first taste of real fame and get their name and face out there. Take, for example, James Gandolfini in the role of Tony Soprano: The Sopranos is widely considered to be one of the greatest television shows of all time, and Gandolfini’s remarkable performance as the New Jersey mob boss would serve as the backbone of his career and the magnus opus for virtually any mafia-related project. You could make a similar argument for Donald Glover and his role in the cult classic NBC series Community, and fans of that iconic series will be elated to hear that we’ve received the first official update regarding the Community movie since it was officially announced in October.
Originally debuting on television in 2008, Community was a unique series that centered around a diverse group of students who form a study group while attending their local community college. What they inadvertently do however is establish a bond amongst one another that goes on to more or less define their community college experience, simultaneously eliciting laughter with such ease that the series has resonated with fans and has remained at the forefront of pop culture despite officially coming to an end in 2015. A running joke amongst Community fans since the series’ earliest days is the phrase “six seasons and a movie” as the cast and crews main goal while producing the show, and they seemingly spoke it into existence with the film being officially announced just 2 months ago. While plot details remain sparse, series architect Dan Harmon spoke about the project on the podcast Six Seasons and a Podcast and at least told fans what not to expect: while the paintball episodes are a fan favorite Harmon notes that the tragedies surrounding school shootings would make this difficult to do now, and fans don’t have to worry about Greendale Community College potentially shutting down which was a plot line the series entertained towards the end of its run. Instead, Harmon is virtually ensuring fans something completely fresh that will still fit nicely in the context of the Community universe and reunite the cast with a clear purpose in mind that additionally won’t just serve as a reunion for the characters. With all of this being said though, Harmon is pretty much as unpredictable as they come and Community never shied away from trying new things so whatever they come up with should be a success.
While Donald Glover is a superstar now with another hit television show, Atlanta, under his belt, he was just 25 years old when he first appeared in Community and introduced himself to countless new fans in the process. Alison Brie was also around the age of 26 when she made her first appearance in 2009, highlighting just how impactful Community was for both fans and the cast alike. This is the textbook definition of a full circle moment for everybody involved, and eager fans can remain on the lookout for further updates about the official Community as production picks up in the near future.
