People always want more, especially of things they can't have. They want more time, they want more money, they want more freedom and they want more "Arrested Development." Lucky for fans of "Arrested Development," more adventures with the Bluth family may well be in the cards.
For those unfamiliar with "Arrested Development," it tells the story of a once-wealthy family which falls under police investigation for possibly shady business practices. In the center of everything is Michael Bluth, played by Jason Bateman, the only normal level-headed child of the Bluth family. It falls upon him to keep his family together through several years of hardship. Add a couple quirky siblings, a controlling mother and a father in jail and you have the makings of a hilarious sitcom. Yet, through treachery and accusations, Michael manages to keep his family together.
After the show was cancelled in 2006, AD fans were up in arms. Though it ran for three years and garnered much critical acclaim, the show never managed to build a solid fan base, and was thus cut from the air.
Since the time it was cancelled, AD's cult following has continued to exponentially, annoying original AD fans who blame its cancellation on low ratings. But the fact remains that many people are hungering for more. Now the big question on everyone's mind is: "Will there be a movie?"
The answer appears to be "Yes." Rumors about a film started flying after the airing of the last episode. In the last scene, Ron Howard, who does the narration for the series, is pitched an idea for a show based on the Bluth family. He replies: "I don't see it as a series. Maybe a movie." For nearly four years fans have hung on those three words and it appears that their dreams may finally be coming true.
Speculation about the film has been confirmed recently as Mitchell Hurwitz, creator and executive producer, has gone on record saying he is working on a screenplay with his co-executive producer James Vallely. It appears that until recently the biggest roadblock for progress on the film was whether all the actors were on board with a reunion.
Hurwitz insisted that he would not go ahead with the project unless all the main actors were committed. Rumors flew that Will Arnett and Michael Cera may have been holding up development, but most recent words have confirmed that all cast members are interested in the project. At this point it may prove difficult to arrange everyone's schedules in order to shoot. Since the end of AD, many of the cast members have gone onto very successful careers.
As of now, the movie seems to be moving forward. Early predictions have a release date of 2011, but with no cemented script or production date it is hard to know. For all the anxious AD fans out there, one thing is certain: all the cast members are on board and it appears that everyone is very interested in making this movie a reality. If nothing else, they know that it will be a lucrative venture, as there has been a constant interest expressed since the show went off the air. Oh, and rumor is that David Cross is so excited, he blue himself.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Contact Genna McCabe at gmccabe@nd.edu
