Community Actor Apologizes for Movie Delay Due to Co-Star Misunderstanding

The highly anticipated Community movie will not begin filming this year, and one of the show’s stars has taken responsibility for the delay.

It has been nearly two years since it was announced that the promise of “six seasons and a movie” from the beloved sitcom would finally be fulfilled.

US streaming service Peacock had shared the news seven years after the series ended in 2015. Creator Dan Harmon was set to oversee the project, and it was confirmed that all the main cast members, except Chevy Chase, would be returning.

Joel McHale, who plays Jeff Winger and often appears on hit series The Bear, said earlier this year he would be “shocked” if the film didn’t shoot in 2023. However, he has now provided a disappointing update for fans.

“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,” McHale told GQ.

“But we have the money, and that is a huge step. And hopefully, people still want to see it. And Peacock’s paying for it. So, I can’t wait to do it.”

When asked when he believes the film will start shooting, McHale replied, “I’ll say vaguely, ‘Next year.’ How about that?”

The actor also shut down suggestions that the delay was caused by Donald Glover, who released a new Childish Gambino record earlier this year and has seen his stock rise significantly since Community ended.

“If it’s anybody’s fault, it’s my schedule on this one,” McHale said, clarifying, “It’s not his at all. He was available.”

McHale had confirmed that Glover would be returning as Troy for the movie earlier this year, stating, “The fact that we even got Donald to do it… that was the big piece.”

He also said that Yvette Nicole Brown, who plays Shirley Bennett, would be returning for the movie. “I think everyone’s coming back. So far, we’re pretty good,” he noted.

The stars confirmed to return include McHale, Glover, Brown, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong.

Chevy Chase, who played millionaire Pierce Hawthorne on the series, will likely not be returning. Harmon previously suggested that it might not be “legal for him to come back.”

Chase’s time on the series was filled with behind-the-scenes drama. The 80-year-old actor left Community during its fourth season after allegedly making racist remarks toward Glover.

“Chevy was the first to realise how immensely gifted Donald was, and the way he expressed his jealousy was to try to throw Donald off,” Harmon told The New Yorker in 2018. “I remember apologizing to Donald after a particularly rough night of Chevy’s non-PC verbiage, and Donald said, ‘I don’t even worry about it.'”

In a subsequent interview on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast, Chase suggested that his departure was on his own terms.

“I honestly felt the show wasn’t funny enough for me, ultimately,” he said. “I felt a little bit constrained. Everybody had their bits, and I thought they were all good. It just wasn’t hard-hitting enough for me.”

Chase added that he “felt happier being alone” and “just didn’t want to be surrounded by that table, every day, with those people”—presumably referring to his co-stars.

Community, which follows a group of students at a community college, ran for 110 episodes across six seasons, airing its finale in 2015. A release date for the film is yet to be announced.