(Image source: Fox)

BY ZACH TOOMBS

ANCHOR LAUREN GORES

You're watching multisource sports video news analysis from Newsy.
 

We know. You’ve heard it before. Rumors of a big screen adaptation for Fox’s long-ago-cancelled sitcom Arrested Development have run rampant for years. But this time, it seems, it’s for real.

WABC’s The Electric Playground in New York was one of the first to report the story Sunday.

“The Arrested Development movie may soon finish development and be in production. That’s according to star Jason Bateman. Speaking with Empire Online, the actor said he expects the film to begin shooting in the middle of 2012 and that development is progressing smoothly.”

Jason Bateman, who played the relatively sane member of the show’s beloved Bluth family, also confirms the news on his Twitter profile, saying:

“It's true. We will do 10 episodes and the movie. Probably shoot them all together next summer for a release in early '13. VERY excited!”

Speaking at a New Yorker Festival event, the show’s creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, confirmed that, although the script was currently for writers’ eyes only, the movie is a go. But it was another announcement from Hurwitz that drew the most applause: that the show would return to TV for a limited season leading up to the movie.

The New York Times quotes Hurwitz as saying:

“… in working on the screenplay, I found even if I just gave five minutes per character to that back story, we were halfway through the movie before the characters got together. We’re trying to do a limited-run series into the movie. We’re basically hoping to do 9 or 10 episodes, with almost one character per episode.”

Although Fox cancelled the show after three seasons in 2006, Arrested Development gained tremendous critical acclaim and, in the years since its cancellation, a dedicated following. The show’s return would reunite all its main stars, including Michael Cera, Will Arnett and Jeffrey Tambor.

Weighing in on what the show’s new format could look like, BlackBook writes:

“Doing it by character per episode could change the dynamic and make things a bit strange but it will allow the actors to continue on with projects they are currently involved in. It will also get fans caught up on what’s happened to their favorite characters. Did George Michael ever resolve his feelings for his cousin?  Has Gob reached dominance in the magic industry?  Did Buster leave the nest?”

There’s no solid production schedule -- or even a studio -- set in place for new episodes or the film. For now, that leaves fans taking the show creator’s word for granted that there’s still money in the banana stand for Arrested Development. 


Transcript by Newsy.