Community.Photo: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty
TheCommunitymoviewill be without two of the show’s recurring themes: paintball andDungeons & Dragons.
Inthe original series, multiple episodes are centered on the aforementioned games, whichCommunitycreatorDan Harmondescribed onFriday’s episode ofSix Seasons and a Podcastas “special episodes that … were kind of like genre homages” rather than something that was constructed to move the plot along in a “traditional” way.
“We did a lot of episodes where … you are joyfully locked in a construct that isn’t a traditional sitcom narrative, but is rather through the lens ofDavid Fincheror[Martin] Scorsese,” said Harmon, 49.
As the creator explained of the upcoming film, “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 for theCommunitymovie 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 withtheCommunitymovie concept,” Harmon added.
Community.Justin Lubin/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty
He also said they “tried to doa bunch more paintballs, and they were all perfectly wonderful things to do, but would anything ever capture the joy of the original paintball episode?”
“How can we do that in a way that’s acceptable?” he said. “Yousit down to write the movieand you’re like, ‘So, we’d do that, right?’ Because it’s so emblematic of what made our show special and the triumphs that we had — the things that we contributed as a show.”
“Or we’d playDungeons & Dragonsfor 90 minutes. I kinda gotta rule that out — maybe a better writer wouldn’t,” Harmon added.
Communityaired for six seasons on NBCfrom 2009 to 2015. The community-college-set sitcom followed a group of oddball students and their equally wacky teachers.
RELATED VIDEO: Joel McHale Teases aCommunityMovie: “It’s More Real Than It’s Ever Been”
Peacockannounced in September that it has picked up the feature-length extension of the popular NBC comedy, and much of the series’ original cast — includingJoel McHale,Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash andKen Jeong— are on board to reprise their roles.
“‘Six seasons and a movie’ started out as a cheeky line fromCommunity’searly seasons and quickly ignited a passionate fan movement for this iconic, hilarious and cool (cool, cool) NBC comedy,” said Susan Rovner, chair of entertainment content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Brie opened up about the potential of the long-awaitedCommunitymovie coming to fruition, explaining that she was just as unsure of the wait as fans of the show were.
“I don’t know what the holdup is. It’s beyond my pay grade,” said Brie, 39. “I’m crossing my fingers as much as anyone. I’m truly waiting to hear on an update about that.”
source: people.com
