The “six seasons… and a movie’ prophecy coming full circle sent Community fans into a frenzy last year when it was confirmed that the beloved series would finally be living up to its promise. The series ended back in 2015, and ever since then fans have been wondering when they will see the gang back together, only this time on the big screen. While he was absent from the initial announcement, it would seem that Donald Glover is going to be a part of that gang once more.
Speaking on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, lead actor Joel McHale stated that Glover would be returning in the film despite the actor having become one of the busiest men alive in recent years. Not only will Glover return to play Troy Barnes, the slightly(but lovably) obtuse athlete turned-geek with a heart of gold, but McHale suggested that a lot of the film will center on his character’s return.
“Donald’s coming back and that’s really important. The fact that Donald’s gonna do it, that was the big piece. But I think everyone’s coming back. I mean, so far we’re pretty good. And I think that will happen, if not then, you know, Donald will be there.”
Troy left a little early on in season 5, taking off to sail the world in order to gain Pierce’s (Chevy Chase) huge inheritance. Though he wasn’t seen again, there was a hint at what had befallen Troy out in the open waters, with a news report in the show reading “Breaking News: LeVar Burton and non-celebrity companion captured by pirates in the Gulf of Mexico” on the bottom of the screen.
During a table read the cast shared back in 2020 (which featured Pedro Pascal in place of Walton Goggins), Glover joked that his character was most likely dead, but that Abed (Danny Pudi) could try and track him down. Though we would be taken way off campus for this excursion, it would make for a very interesting premise to see the gang get back together to save their dear friend Troy.
Whether this is going to tie into the movie or not we don’t know, but he will surely have some cool stories to share with his old college classmates upon his return. The film will likely see all but Chase return to their roles (Chase was killed off in season 5 after highly publicized conflicts on set) but Yvette Nicole Brown’s return still has yet to be confirmed. However, McHale’s statement would seem to imply that she will be.
The Community movie was initially planned for release in 2024 but is currently on hold due to the writer’s strike, so no release date has been confirmed as of yet.