Fans of “Arrested Development” might be in for a treat soon. The producers of the show are in talks to create new episodes as a prelude to a major motion picture release.
According to Entertainment Weekly, creator Mitchell Hurwitz wants to create nine to 10 new episodes that could air on either Netflix or Showtime in fall 2012. The plan would be to bridge the gap between when the show got canceled in 2006 and what will take place in the movie he has scripted.
It’s a bit surprising that a revival of “Arrested Development” is so close to taking place. Fox canceled the show after just three seasons, two of which were heavily abridged due to low ratings. Despite winning many awards, including Emmy Awards for Outstanding Cast, Best Comedy, and Best Writing in a Comedy, the network felt it was time to move on to other projects.
Now another network (Showtime) might take on the risk that viewers would tune in to view the show again. It seems like a pretty big risk, especially if the costs are high to bring back the established stars. Some of the more recognizable names from the cast include Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, and Michael Cera .
Bateman has seen his career in films rebound quite nicely in “Horrible Bosses,” “Couples Retreat,” and “Up in the Air.” Cera starred in “Juno,” “Superbad,” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” That’s only a small sampling of what the cast has moved on to after the show got canceled, but maybe the allure of filming new episodes will be enough to convince them it is worth the pay cut.
While these “talks” might be something that excites the die-hard fans who have stuck with “Arrested Development” over the years, it is also important to realize nothing is ready to go yet. There is no deal in place yet to film those new episodes and the script hasn’t been approved for a big screen appearance either. The buzz, though, is growing as fans realize that there is a chance at the show returning.
A similar story to this took place when Fox canceled “Futurama” but the fans clamored to have it return to the air. The show came back on Comedy Central and turned into several movies that ended up being released straight to DVD. Now “Arrested Development” could follow in similar footsteps and get rescued by an unaffiliated network.