The Community Movie Cast And More Details

Nearly 10 years ago, the cult NBC sitcom "Community" released its final episode on the now-defunct streaming platform Yahoo! Screen, ending a tumultuous run with the hope of a series-long dream — six seasons "#andamovie." In September of 2022, that dream finally came true, with Peacock confirming a feature film would be released on their streaming service.

The original series followed Jeff (Joel McHale), a disgraced lawyer attempting to get a college degree after a career of deception. However, in trying to seduce fellow student and pseudo-activist Britta (Gillian Jacobs), he unknowingly began a journey of friendship and self-discovery that was every bit as sweet as it sounds — and way weirder too. Among the cast were high-strung overachiever Annie (Alison Brie), high school football star Troy (Donald Glover), the movie-obsessed Abed (Danny Pudi), recent divorcee Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), and the elderly Pierce Hawthorn (Chevy Chase).

Anticipation for the film is already palpable, with the main question on many minds being who will return to their roles and who will be counted absent. Here's everything that's known about the upcoming "Community" movie so far.

When news of the "Community" movie first broke, the official Peacock Twitter account tweeted out, "We have avoided the darkest of timelines." But while we're psyched to see what our Greendale friends have been up to, we may have to wait a while.

Initially, Joel McHale went on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and announced the movie would start filming in June 2023. Alison Brie later said something similar, telling Collider it looked like they would begin shooting in summer 2023. However, the writers' strike prevented that from happening, but "Community" creator Dan Harmon says that's probably a good thing. As he explained to the Associated Press, "[Before the strikes] we had a draft of a script that was theoretically ready to go. I don't think creatively it was all the way there, which is why I was starting to panic about us being scheduled to start shooting." After the strike ended and finding himself with extra time before filming, Harmon was able to return to the screenplay and perfect it.

So when will filming commence? In June 2023, McHale went on the podcast "Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa" and gave a positive update. "We're shooting it next summer," the comedian declared. McHale said something similar in December 2023 when speaking to Collider: "Well, you know, we were shooting it last summer and then, so I think as long as we can start getting all these schedules together, that it will probably be next summer."

Series creator Dan Harmon and the "Community" cast have been tight-lipped on what storylines and character dynamics will play out in the upcoming film. However, we do know what elements won't be in the movie.

Speaking with "Six Seasons and a Podcast," Harmon elaborated on some of the beloved "Community" gags that won't be featured in the film, saying, "It's a lot easier for me to rule stuff out than tell you what we're pursuing. For instance, we go, 'Do we really think it'd be a good idea to be a paintball episode?' It's one of the first things to rule out because it's the first thing off the top of your head, and that's an issue with the 'Community' movie concept." In addition to avoiding paintball, Harmon said they wouldn't be featuring "Dungeons & Dragons," and they wouldn't be dedicating any time to doing homages to films like "Goodfellas" or "Zodiac," a la episodes like "Contemporary American Poultry" and "Basic Intergluteal Numismatics."

As for when the story will take place, Harmon spoke about that too, saying Greendale Community College would still be open for business and that the characters wouldn't be meeting up for a quick visit and then parting ways. As Harmon put it, "You're not gonna do anything terribly clever with using the school's demise or resurrection as a device because you don't want too much of your movie to be spent unrecognizable. It wouldn't be outlandish to suggest that enough time has gone by in 'Community' that the world, and not these characters, has changed so significantly that there's a lot to deal with. They haven't been together in a long time, but it's not because they swore each other off. ... There's a reason to get together, and there's a reason they have to stay together."

Believe it or not, it looks like almost all the major "Community" stars are heading back to Greendale. When the movie was officially announced, we learned that Joel McHale would return as the study group's leader, Jeff Winger, and he'd be accompanied by Gillian Jacobs (Britta), Alison Brie (Annie), Danny Pudi (Abed), Jim Rash (Dean Pelton), and Ken Jeong (Chang).

Initially, we weren't sure if Donald Glover was going to reprise his role of lovable jock Troy Barnes, but in April 2023, Childish Gambino gave an interview to GQ, saying, "The 'Community' movie, there's some progress on it. We're supposed to start shooting it soon. Haven't seen a script. In true Dan [Harmon] fashion, will probably get it on the first day. But yeah, it's supposed to be happening." Joel McHale also confirmed Glover's involvement while appearing on the podcast "Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa," saying, "Donald's coming back, and that's really important."

Plus, in a September 2023 profile of Dan Harmon, The Hollywood Reporter claimed the whole cast, minus one notable exception, would be returning, which means that Yvette Nicole-Brown must be coming back as Shirley. As for that one notable exception, Chevy Chase doesn't seem to be involved, both because his character died in the series and because he wasn't exactly beloved by anyone working on the show. McHale confirmed as much on Kelly Ripa's podcast. When asked if the controversial "SNL" comedian was returning, McHale wryly responded, "Yeah, I don't think so." 

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Keith David will return as Elroy Patashnik either. When asked on Twitter if he would be in the film, David responded, "I've not been asked, but I wish them much success on it!" Similarly, other cast members like Jonathan Banks, John Oliver, and Paget Brewster haven't yet been confirmed to return.

Series creator Dan Harmon is back as an executive producer on the film. "Community" was Harmon's creation, but he was kicked off the show after its third season. It has been speculated that he was fired for a combination of having an unprofessional attitude, his unwillingness to compromise on narrative with higher-ups, and an instance of harassment. (Harmon has since apologized to his accuser, writer Megan Ganz, who publicly forgave him.) However, he was subsequently rehired for the fifth and sixth seasons.

Harmon is also currently penning the screenplay, along with fellow "Community" writer Andrew Guest, who wrote episodes such as "A Fistful of Paintballs," "Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples," and "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons." As for the rest of the crew, longtime "Community" producers Russ Krasnoff and Gary Foster are also on board, as is Joel McHale, who will executive produce in addition to starring in the movie. McHale has previously produced programs, but 2023's Fox sitcom "Animal Control" was his first foray into creating narrative content.

Oddly enough, fans can't binge the "Community" TV show on the platform its movie will premiere on. The show is absent from Peacock for the time being, although the site's official blog says the streamer will be acquiring the entire library of "Community" episodes at some point before the film's ultimate release. However, if you're looking to check out the show, we've got you covered. "Community" can currently be streamed on Netflix, or you can buy the series on sites such as Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, and Google Play. Also, if you're looking for the cream of the crop, we've got you covered with our guide to the very best episodes of "Community" ranked.