“Six seasons and a movie” was the joke. “Six seasons and a movie” is now the reality. The NBC sitcom Community was shuffled around a bit before getting the axe from the network and getting picked up to be streaming on Yahoo! of all places, but now, the prophecy of a movie version will finally make its debut on Peacock. The final season had been without Chevy Chase due to a whole slew of behind-the-scenes drama, but Donald Glover would be one who would really take off in his career amid the show’s run.
Dan Harmon, the series creator, had appeared at a function called the Business Managers Breakfast presented by City National Bank, where he spoke about the development of the movie adaptation and addressed Glover’s involvement.
According to Variety, Harmon said,
For lack of a better word, there was a ball fumbled… [Glover] is down to clown. Man, I would not want to think about making [the movie] without Donald.”
As the news hit that Peacock would be premiering a movie of Community, the fanbase became ecstatic. However, as Glover had become a hot commodity after his FX comedy, Atlanta, and a rap career as Childish Gambino, it was not yet known if he would be available or interested in returning.
Harmon would go on to reveal that the choice of the film’s home came down to Peacock and Amazon Prime. Since the show initially premiered on NBC, it’s natural to think Peacock is the best place to go. However, it was Peacock’s willingness to passionately market the movie that won him over. Harmon explains, “Is it smart as a creative to go with the place that you think is more solvent? That’s not how a creative should think, you’re supposed to go with your passion, and ultimately, that is what we did. We can’t control the marketplace. We can’t control Peacock’s future, so we should ignore that, pretend that all things are equal, and go with the thing that makes emotional sense.”