SURELY A MOVIE (was: New new news! It's on!!!!)

[Pont]

During the Extract panel in Hall H today, Jason Bateman was on stage and the inevitable quesiton came up: what’s up with the Arrested Development movie? Bateman didn’t have any breaking news, but said specifically “it is not dead. There is no reason to think that it is dead.” Bateman explained that series creator Mitch Hurwitz has been too busy with television work to write the film, but that now that those obligations are out of the way he could be writing soon.

So when are we actually going to hear about the film, and what’s the i[d]ea going to be?

It could be as early as the next six months or as late as 18. Mitch hasn’t told me what he has in mind. As fans of the show know, you can look at the very last scene of the last episode, [which] kind of dovetails into what the film could be. Maybe pitches to Ron Howard the idea about making a show about the family. He says “no, that wouldn’t work, but maybe a movie.” Read into that what you will.

http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/07/25/jas ... -not-dead/

[editor]

According to this, Jason also:

clued us into a possible plot line for the new movie. He said it could possibly cover the reality show following the Funke family.

And this interview with Will Arnett:

Arnett has a slew of other projects in development, none of which involves working with rodents. Two of them reunite him with Mitchell Hurwitz, who created the cult-favorite series "Arrested Development" (2003-2006), on which Arnett starred as George Bluth II, aka "Gob."

"I'm writing a new show for Fox with the creator of 'Arrested Development,'" the actor said. "We'll also do an 'Arrested Development' movie in the next year or so. Those are the projects that get me up in the morning."

"Arrested Development" fans have never quite accepted the show's cancellation, so they're already eagerly anticipating the movie. The feeling is mutual, Arnett says.

"I'm with the fans in that I'm really looking forward to revisiting these characters," he said. "I will have to beg Mitch for some mercy for George. I'm sure I'll be in some interesting situations in the movie."

So how about some inside dirt? Will the whole original cast be back, including Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi and Jeffrey Tambor? Anything about the plot?

Arnett shakes his head.

"Honestly, I'm not sure who is on board," he said. "I do know that everyone is prepared to do the movie. But I don't hear things officially. That's out of my pay scale."

[Pont]

Bateman says cool it.

"There’s really no need to write anything about [the movie] at all until [Mitch Hurwitz is] done writing it. Once he writes it, then, just like any movie, then it becomes something a little bit more real and then you try to figure out scheduling and you try to figure out people’s deals. I mean, it’s got the same life that any other project would have. It has just as much a chance of happening as it does of not happening really.

http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2009/08 ... ce-to.html

[editor]

Minor tidbits from the Daily News:

The highly anticipated "Arrested Development" movie is still arrested, but not for the reason everyone thinks.

Will Arnett is actually the one holding up the flick, despite rumors that the show's breakthrough star, Michael Cera - who hit instant celebrity status after "Superbad" - was the cause of the delay.

So what's up with Will?

The funnyman says he's busy with a whole new show that he's planning with writer Mitch Hurwitz. "The ‘Arrested Development' movie is definitely going to happen," he insisted at Hess' Arthur Ashe Kids Day on Saturday. "But Mitch and I have been working on the new show, so unfortunately for the movie, we have been focusing on that for the last couple of months."

However, a rep for Arnett insists, "They are working on the movie simultaneously."

...

As for the "Arrested Development" film, it was rumored that Hurwitz and fellow producer Ron Howard had inked a deal with Fox Searchlight last November, but that no progress had been made since. Not true, says Arnett. "We're definitely not starting from page one," he insists. "There are scripts in order."

Buzz has actively grown about the project since last year when Jason Bateman, who played Michael Bluth on the canceled comedy, started actively talking about making the flick come to life. "We are trying to put a muzzle on him!" Will said about his loose-lipped co-star - and all of the pressure to make the movie that came after Bateman's comments.

And when they do, will Cera be back? "I haven't heard that anyone isn't on board," Arnett says. "Why wouldn't they be?"

[Phil Love AD!]

Mitch has a new show with Will? I'm interested...

Could be that last bit of news we got about Will and Mitch on the same set was from the new show and not the movie?

Anyways, it's good to hear the movie is definitely still on.

[smeddy]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42252

Quint: I think you mentioned last night that the ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT movie might actually be going forward?
Jason Bateman: Well, Mitch (Hurwitz) is writing it, so as soon as he’s done, then everything else kind of moves forward.
Quint: Has he been hired to write it or is this like a pre-emptive…
Jason Bateman: I don’t know what the business arrangement is, but the big sort of piece to move is him creatively wanting to do it. So he does and is and he’s on it, so the adults will figure out all of the business parts. I’m just happy that he’s writing it, because I miss those guys. That would be a lot of fun.
Quint: I think we all miss those guys and you better hope he finishes or else it will be your EVIL DEAD 4 and you’ll never hear the end of it.
Jason Bateman: I wish I had something different to say to people every time they ask me about it and in fact I tell Mitch about that. I say “You know, I’m for some reason the de facto guy with the stale news all of the time, so can you give me a page count you are on?” That’s news from him, that he is on it and he will be done hopefully soon, because I don’t know how much longer people would want to wait. It kind of hits a fatigue factor and a “who cares” factor after a while.
Quint: I think the big danger might be with Michael Cera outgrowing George Michael.
Jason Bateman: That’s assuming that we start from where we left off. It would be in real time, so it would be however many four or five years later, so I would be older and he would be older and whatever would happen at that time. I’m sure we would cover what has happened in the years off. Maybe he has become some gypsy hippy freak in college or something and he’s got his YEAR ONE hair.

... And then, in the comments, there's an AD quote fest!

[Pont]

Et tu, Michael?

Jason Bateman has been the tireless champion behind the "Arrested Development" movie, but lately, rather than talking it up as a go project that will shoot imminently (remember last December and early in 2009 everyone expected to be shooting the film before 2009 was finished), he's sounding much more pragmatic or even skeptical about the project.

In an interview with MTV last week that no one seemed to notice because of TIFF, Bateman said, "Perhaps that ship has sailed," he said in response to the question, "when does it get to be too late?"

"I guess the public will decide on that," he said and also suggested he realizes fans' patience has been tested with all that talk that has amounted to zilch. "I personally think... I feel bad talking about it. It's a tired story. I'm so sorry. I don't bring it up, people," he implored into the camera. "Nice people bring it up and I answer honestly. And the honest answer is, that [series creator] Mitch Hurwitz is a busy guy, he just had a very busy television season, now that that has finished, he's now intensely writing the movie. My guess is that he's halfway done with it. My guess is we'd be we'd be shooting in eight, nine, 10 months then it would be out six or seven months after that."

So new time frame is 17 months from now which would land it in February 2011, and that's just a random guess. We're we told that this movie was being written at the beginning of this year?

Ok, so it is time officially for a moratorium on all "Arrested Development" film stories, i.e., this includes the cooperation of the entire Internet not asking the cast and creators for a least another six months about the film? The answer is yes. Uhh, we realize we're not helping here...

http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2009/09 ... jason.html

[smeddy]

Loads in Google News about Hollywood Reporter saying script is on

[Pont]

I saw that at a bunch of sites today too and I don't neccesarily think it's new news. It's just Hollywood Reporter reporting the same thing the blogs have been for months, that Mitch is apperantly working on the script.

[jigielnik]

IGN.com has more of the same arrested news! word across the web seems to be that mitch is finally sitting down and writing this script (with jim vallely) whatever thats worth...

http://movies.ign.com/articles/103/1031457p1.html

[UseyourAllusionsII]

Man, i hope this is finally real. I hope the script is actually going to be written this time and it's not just rumors. Despite the fact it's been confirmed by AD actors, it's still in the air.

[Bluther]

http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/10/05/arres ... happening/

It's happening isn't it?-George Michael

[Pont]

MITCH SPEAKS!:

http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/10/25/mit ... ent-movie/

Saturday saw not one but two separate special events with Mitchell Hurwitz take place in Austin, Texas and luckily I had remote ears attending both. The first was a panel discussion called “The Art of Storytelling,” also featuring Ron Howard and Steve Zaillian, and the second was the clearly-titled “Conversation With Mitchell Hurwitz.” Both saw some talk of the upcoming Arrested Development film.

Hurwitz explained the origins of the TV show’s style like this: Ron Howard approached him and asked for something in a verite style, but they soon curbed their enthusiasm for explicitly mockumentary language to avoid comparison with the BBC’s version of The Office, which was just taking off as Devlopment was in development.

For the film, Hurwitz is apparently tempted to change the style completely, but Howard wants it to remain the same. Even if that does end up being the case, Hurwitz did promise that the film would be more “polished”.

The major justification given for the camera and editing styles was that watching comedy isn’t about camera angles and fancy shots. That rationale doesn’t add up with me… why wouldn’t they use a more ‘invisible’ style, then? It’s impossible for me to forget the presence of the camera when watching Arrested Development.

Hurwitz said he is finding the writing of the film easier than with a 22 minute episode because he has a natural inclination and skill to delve deep into detail.

Over at the other event, Hurwitz confirmed that he would not only be writing but will also be directing the feature film himself. The only major plot information he could be pushed for was that the film would be set, to a large extent, in prison. Now, that confuses me a little (and bear in mind that I’m not a hardcore Arrested Development fan by any means) but I thought all of the prison plotlines were tied up at the end of the second season?

[BananaStandManager]

Same event, more info:

http://www.collider.com/2009/10/25/taste-the-happy-arrested-development-creator-mitch-hurwitz-will-direct-the-movie-and-reveals-a-few-details-about-the-plot/

Hurwitz relented to Nasatir, and said, that there would be a heavy jail presence and then made jokes about the inclusion of TARP money, a nod to the inability of a film to be as timely as television due to lag times in production and release.

[editor]

Here's a recap of the movie developments so far from BlackBook.