The endlessly delayed Arrested Development film begged to become the next Chinese Democracy / Half-Life: Episode Three joke, but it appears that movie production is now rolling along with a complete revival of the show just to top things off. Arrested Development creator and executive producer Mitch Hurwitz confirmed the new season and film during the “Bluth Family Reunion” at the New Yorker Festival this past Sunday.
Arrested Development centers on Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) as he handles his spoiled, dysfunctional family in an attempt to maintain normality. The comedy is presented in a continuous format, spliced with handheld cameras, stock historical footage and archival photos, and narration by Ron Howard. The show also stars Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter. The show originally aired on Fox in 2003, lasting three seasons and receiving six Emmy Awards before its cancellation in 2006 despite its heavy cult status.
Encouragement from critics and audiences to revive the show incited talks for the film, rumors of which have popped up since 2008. The official confirmation by Hurwitz and producer Ron Howard for the limited-run series and the long-awaited film have also been bolstered by further validation by stars Will Arnett and Jason Bateman on Twitter. Hurwitz plans the anticipated season to consist of nine to ten episodes with each installment chronicling what individual characters have been up to during the show’s many years of hiatus. He claims that the TV series serves to “build the peril in [the characters’] lives until they come together in the first scene of the movie,” the script of which is roughly halfway completed.
As for the original cast, Hurwitz maintains, “We’re all game [for the movie]. We’ve hated being coy, but we were working on this ambitious idea.” No definite time frame for the eventual release of the revived series or film has been announced, though Bateman anticipates early 2013 as a potential debut for both.
Moreover, no networks have stepped out in full confirmation to back the television revival yet, with a bidding war breaking out between Showtime, IFC, Hulu, and Netflix. Showtime has shown pronounced interest in distributing the limited-run series, as Showtime entertainment president David Nevins is a former executive producer of the show. IFC holds rights to air reruns of Arrested Development and are also looking to broadcast the new season. As for Hulu and Netflix, both have had their share of hosting episodes and clips since their launch.
Aside from the recent development of the framework and distribution of the Arrested Development renewal, Hurwitz has publicized this official statement on the forthcoming film:
“I will give you this spoiler alert [about the Bluths]: They fuck everything up.”
Source: The Wrap
