A movie reunion of the long-lost Bluth family has been a persistent rumor, with fans (myself included) desperately clinging to any hint of development on an Arrested Development movie. Well, now after years of murmurs and false leads, the short-lived sitcom’s creator Mitch Hurwitz has given fans reason to hope.
Hurwitz, who spoke with Digital Spy, admits he and writing partner, Jim Valley, are drafting the script for the Bluth family’s return, saying:
“We’ve started that process and it is our sincere hope to shoot it this year and get it out this year…That’s what we’re hoping, but a lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen.”
Some of these “things” would be scheduling a cast that has since scattered to the winds. Jason Bateman’s been tearing up the silver screen with hits (Up in the Air, The Invention of Lying) and misses (The Switch), while his onscreen siblings (Tony Hale, Will Arnett, David Cross, and Portia de Rossi) have been taking on TV and film with varying degrees of success. The elder Bluths, Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter, have been lending their voices to the side-splitting spy comedy Archer, along with the show’s flash-happy secretary, Judy Greer. And of course, everyone’s favorite Les Cousins Dangereux have been regularly gracing the silver screen, with Michael Cera becoming the indie It Boy turned hipster Movie Star, and Alia Shawkat creating memorable characters in whatever film is lucky enough to land her.
But I digress, yes, scheduling this would be complicated. Please Mr. Hurwitz, do go on:
“I don’t like to toy with the affections of our fans. They’ve been so supportive and we’re so grateful, so I kind of hate to answer the question [about the film’s plot] until I can say, ‘Yep, we’ve shot it, it opens next week’. Otherwise it feels like we’re toying with people and we do not mean to do that. It has just taken a while to get it going.”
Ron Howard has already been approached about returning as the snarky narrator, and seems cautiously optimistic about the film’s creation:
“Look, I’m a little bit like the audience: I’ll believe it when I see it!…All kidding aside [Hurwitz has] been very involved in his television company and I think it’s reached a point where he now has a window to really focus on Arrested Development and give it the time and attention that it really needs.”
As an ardent fan, I hope Howard’s right.
Do you think the Arrested Development movie is finally en route to production?