Community Star Joel McHale Says Movie Was ‘Pretty Darn Close’ to Filming Before Writers’ Strike

The Community dream of having six seasons and a movie is still on track to come true, but it’ll just take a little bit longer amid the ongoing writers’ strike.

Star Joel McHale revealed in a Variety interview today that series creator Dan Harmon and co-writer Andrew Gust almost finished the film’s script before the strike was called on May 2.

“We had a shooting date coming up, which was going to be in the summer,” McHale said. “And I think they were extremely close to — I mean, Dan is somebody that tweaks things, but, obviously, that’s all stopped. But I think it was pretty darn close. It was close, the shoot date was coming up, and we were all excited to do it, and then the writers’ strike happened, which obviously put everything on hold, and rightfully so. The writers are asking for very reasonable things. Writers need to be paid properly.”

It was previously reported that Community would begin filming in June. On top of that, the team already had a good idea of who they wanted to direct the movie. “I know who wants to do it, and we’re talking to and is interested and engaged,” McHale said.

But as of yet, no one has officially signed on to direct. Besides McHale, other cast members such as Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong are all confirmed to reprise their roles.

Yvette Nicole Brown and Donald Glover have not been confirmed to join the project, and it’s very unlikely that Chevy Chase will return after his public falling out with the show. Even though Brown and Glover haven’t signed on, McHale believes Harmon is “going to get everybody on board.”

The writers’ strike has now been going on for a little bit more than a month. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been pushing for fairer contact with producers and studios and better accommodations in the TV landscape, including higher residuals, minimum writers’ room sizes, and protections against artificial intelligence technology.

For more Community-related news, check out how Joel McHale “cried like a baby” at the film’s script.