Community: Dan Harmon rules out paintball prediction about new movie

‘Do we really think that it would be a good idea?’ creator asked

Community creator Dan Harmon has ruled out a prediction regarding the forthcoming movie.

In September, it was announced that the sitcom’s promise of “six seasons and a movie” would finally come true.

US streaming service Peacock shared the news seven years after the series came to an end.

It was revealed that creator Dan Harmon was overseeing the project, and that the majority of the main cast would be returning. This includes Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong.

Harmon has now shared new details about the movie while speaking to Alex Burdine’s fan podcast, Six Seasons and a Podcast.

First up, he said the film would not be paintball-themed like key episodes from the series.

“Do we really think that it would be a good idea for the Community movie to be a paintball episode?” Harmon asked, adding: “I think that’s one of the first things to kind of rule out,” Harmon said, referencing the popular paintball episodes from the TV show.”

He also said the film will not see the characters play Dungeons & Dragons like they do in popular episodes from the show. In fact, Harmon said the film will not take place over “one night”.

Harmon elaborated: “An issue with the Community movie concept is that we did a lot of episodes where, from page one to page 30, you are joyfully locked in a construct that isn’t a traditional sitcom narrative, but it’s rather through the lens of David Fincher or Scorsese or, more importantly, through the lens of one of the character’s perceptions.”

He said he started developing the story with writer Andrew Guest before the pandemic, and mapped out the story without knowing for sure which actors could return.

‘Community’ creator Dan Harmon (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Seeso)

The writer also attributed McHale, who plays Jeff Winger, with being able to “rally a cast like that” as they all “trust” him.

He also assured fans that the series will not start with any reboot clichés.

“I could riff some examples of things that I think would be a bad way to get started on a Community movie premise: one would be, like, Greendale Community College has been closed down for 10 years,” he said.

“That’d be an easy natural thing because, right: the campus is the show, the show has been off the air. OK, great, but now are you going to spend your movie painting and fixing windows in abandoned hallways, without students going to and fro?”

Burdine’s full Six Seasons and a Podcast interview will be available to hear from 5pm on 23 December.

Community ran for six seasons, starting in 2009 and airing its finale in 2015.