It was before Arrested Development was even officially canceled after it’s third brilliant season when the show’s fans and creators alike tried to imagine contingency plans for how the critical darling (but ratings redheaded stepchild) could make a grand return. While fans started online petitions and grassroots promotional campaigns the writer’s filled the final episodes with meta jokes about cheap ratings stunts and a distant hope that they might be picked up by HBO or Showtime. The show did end and then… we waited. It seemed every month (and every interview with a former castmember) dropped a hint about a possible reunion. Now, finally, it’s happening.

Ten years after the show debuted on Fox we are getting a brand new 10 or 13 episode season exclusively airing on Netflix, all premiering on the same day. Employers of comedy nerds beware: there are going to be a lot of folks calling in sick to binge on all new Bluth content. I wouldn’t believe it myself, but over the past few weeks the web has been flooded with set pictures tweeted from the cast and fans alike, proving that the model home, the stair car, and even Tobias’ cut-off jean shorts will all be returning. Hallelujah. The second coming is actually upon us.

What do we know so far about this new season? The entire cast is all back, including omniscient narrator Ron Howard. Mad Men’s Jon Slattery will have a multi-episode guest arc, which is awesome because he is… well… awesome. I somehow see Roger Sterling getting along very well with Lucille Bluth over dry martinis. Each episode will apparently focus on an individual character to catch us up on their lives, but with the other character being woven in throughout. And, according to David Cross, creator Mitch Hurwitz is slathering this season with even more hidden jokes and layered plots than before, meaning the whole season will have to be watched multiple times to catch everything and tie it all together.

We wouldn’t have it any other way.

That’s right people: the Bluths are back! Five years after the brilliantly hilarious sitcom (it almost feels dirty to call something so good a sitcom) was canceled by Fox after 3 amazing seasons, creator Mitch Hurwitz gathered the entire cast of Arrested Development for a reunion at the New Yorker festival this weekend for a “look back” at the series. But what it really turned into was a big look forward. Before the show even finished airing the grieving hardcore comedy nerd fanbase began to hang their every hope and dream on the potential of an Arrested Development movie. Five years later, and still all we’ve gotten was word that it’s “in the works” and that “everyone is on board.” Until now.

Mitch Hurwitz announced that not only will there be an Arrested Development movie, but preceding it will be a new limited TV season! Thank you gods of television! Although Hurwitz said business deal still had to be worked out he seemed quite hopeful that it would become a reality next summer, and soon after AD stars Jason Bateman and Will Arnett both took to Twitter to confirm the news. So what can we expect of this Bluth re-birth? Hurwitz explained that each of the TV episodes will focus on one character so we can play catch up on what the last 5 years has held for them. Then the first movie can jump right into the action with the Bluths reuniting in grand fashion. And what will the action of the movie be? In typically 4th wall breaking, meta-humor Arrested Development fashion, this new movie about the Bluths will focus on the fact that there is a movie being made about the Bluths. Thus is going to be glorious.

Also, TV, one you get done reviving Arrested Development, can you move on to Party Down? Thanks!

The cast of Arrested Development do a group “chicken dance” on stage to celebrate the news

A Sopranos movie? Don’t stop believing

HBO has always merged the ideas of movies and TV to make a unique channel (as you well know, it’s not TV, it’s HBO), and it seems like their eyes are now firmly set on the big screen. Yes, a channel that existed to play big screen movies on the TV, which then began making original TV shows, is now looking to bring many of those shows to the movie theater. Everything comes full circle!

After the success of the Sex and the City movies, HBO has become convinced that their original shows are so good that people will be willing to drop $10.25 to see them at the movies on top of the monthly cable bill. First up is the long rumored The Sopranos movie, which has been murmured about from the moment that Journey song started up and the screen went black on the finale of The Sopranos. Based on all the whining about the finale on the internet, executives probably just dreamed a potential movie up as a way of calming down the hysterical masses. But will a movie ever happen? Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco recently said she is very open to reprising her role for a movie, but that she isn’t sure it will ever materialize. As much as I would love to see one last hurrah for Tony Sopranos and those wacky gangsters, the more time that passes the less likely a movie becomes. At this point it might be more realistic to predict a movie based on that Facebook app Mafia Wars. But if they do make a Sopranos movie, I hope we at least get an uplifting ending like Return of the Jedi, complete with all the characters who were murdered on the show in ghost form, smiling as Tony dances with Ewoks.

The second HBO series looking to make the leap to the big screen is Entourage. How fitting that a show about a movie star would eventually be turned into the movie. Mark Wahlberg (creator/producer of Entourage), currently touring the talk show circuit in support of The Other Guys, seems more interested in getting the Entourage movie made than anything he’s actually appearing in. What would the movie be about? I’m sure it would be about a group of guys who are continuing to live problem-free in Hollywood, hooking up with beautiful women and struggling to find something to do with their time since they never seem to work. You know, kind of like every episode. But a movie would really be worth it for the guest stars! I mean this is a TV show that has had everyone from Val Kilmer to Stan Lee on. That’s a wide net. I have a feeling an Entourage movie could potentially have the biggest number of nonessential cameos ever. And I freely admit I would still get excited and say “Oh look, it’s Jaleel White!” Yeah, in my dream Entourage movie Urkel from Family Matters shows up. It would be great.

Finally there is the long, long, long rumored Arrested Development movie, which never seems to get made but will also never go away. Since before the brilliant show even got canceled fans have been clinging to the idea of a potential movie, and for awhile it seemed like there was only one problem: Michael Cera. Supposedly he wanted to see a script first (like a movie script by the Arrested Development writers would be anything but fantastic), but he seems fully on board now, answering the question over and over again while promoting Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. He’s basically played the same character ever since he left the show, so why not embrace it? With the last of the cast in place, now there’s just the little issue of actually making a movie. The script is apparently in progress, as it has been for 4 years, which means maybe we will get an Arrested Development movie in time to celebrate the show’s 25th Anniversary.

This makes me giddy!  An extended viewing of Michael Cera’s hang out sesh with the cast of Jersey Shore!  This one’s got extended fist-pumping, blow-outing, and hot tubbing.  Vinny even gives Cera his own Jersey Shore nickname.  Read it and weep:

So fun!  I’d be interested in going clubbing with this bunch (Call me, you guys!) any day of the week.  Not sure if Michael Cera is trying to knock his awkward nice guy image by playing two guys in one movie and hanging out with the cast of Jersey Shore, but it ain’t really working.  He’s still so nice.  And so awkward.  Never change, Mike!

[Source: MTV Remote Control]

Sweet mother of pearl, 2k10 is off to a good start! Let’s kick the year off with a question to ponder: just WHAT is Michael Cera up to at this very moment?

Why, hanging with the Jersey Shore crew, of course!  Peep this video of Cera getting a trademark Pauly D blowout from the master himself:

Yep. There you have it.

The Arrested Development star (oh, and other things too, fine) and Jersey Shore fan filmed an MTV special with the cast of guidos and guidettes in order to promote his new movie, Youth in Revolt (P.S. did we decide whether that’d be good or not?)  Cera was joined by Snooki, JWoww, Ronnie, Sammi Sweetheart and Pauly D at Hotel Rivington this morning for an early taping.  I haven’t seen the full special yet, but $5 says there’ll be some serious fist pumping in the works.

Youth in Revolt premieres tomorrow night in NYC, Friday everywhere else.  And yes, the Jersey Shore crew have been invited.

[Source: E!]

Hey - I’m DYING to know - WHAT has Michael Cera been up to?

Shooting off at the mouth, that’s what!  I just came across a new, raunch-ridden trailer for Cera’s upcoming film, Youth in Revolt.  This sucker’s NSFW, so put your headphones on and make sure to look over your shoulder before turning this bad boy on:

What do you think of the trailer? Does this movie look terrible or awesome?  There’s no way it’s somewhere in between.

[Source: EW]

I know, right?

The current administration has turned a blind eye to the cancellation of Arrested Development.

Why the french is Michael Cera not leading this campaign?  And more importantly WHAT is he doing RIGHT NOW?

[Source: HuffPo]

WHAT in tarnation has Arrested Developement babe Michael Cera been up to lately?

PHOTOBOMBING!!!!

Well, I suppose not lately lately, but seriously.  How awesome is this guy?

[Source: This is Photobomb]

ZOINKS!  The Michael Cera backlash begins!  Defamer has got the scoop.

What is Michael Cera doing RIGHT NOW?  Withering away in his hoodie, y’all.

Quit holding up my Arrested Development movie already, people.  And view this trailer for Mike’s upcoming movie, Youth in Revolt, I can’t tell if it looks terrible or amazing:

Thoughts?

Ooooh, it’s been a long while since we’ve heard any updates on the rumored Arrested Development movie-in-progress.  This week, finally, something!

Perez sez that at a roundtable interview for his new movie, Extract, Arrested D frontman Jason Batememan had the following exchange with a reporter:

What is the state of “Arrested Development”?
Jason Bateman: The script’s being written and when Mitch (Hurwitz) is done with it we can go to the scheduling part of it which will probably prove to be a bit challenging given the size of the cast.

And they’re all attached
Jason: He is asked us not to speak about specifics, but that he’s working on it.

It seems like 5 or 6 months there was a lot of momentum. A lot of people talking about the film. And then it seemed like it sort of got a little bit quiet. Everyone’s a little nervous it’s actually happening. Is it, in fact, actually being written right now?
Jason: Yes.

That’s 100%?
Jason: Yeah. Yeah. That’s never changed. I mean people have guessed and “rumored” and all that other stuff in all areas of the media. I’ve always been a little sort of…I’ve always felt bad that I never had more information to give people when they asked me about it, but I guess people kind of got frustrated by that and they just started kind of making up their own sort of “well, we haven’t heard that much” or “news hasn’t changed so it must be going away”. I don’t know. It sort of took a life of its own on and fatigue started to set in I think about the whole story of it. I mean, there’s really no need to write anything about it at all until he’s 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.

BAM!  Looks like come 2k18, give or take a few years, we should have ourselves an Arrested Development movie!

YAWN.  I’m growing a beard waiting here, people!  Give me my Arrested Development movie and give it toute suite!  Seriously, you think it took this long to pop out those snoozy The X-Files movies?  And The Facts of Life reunion movie?  That probably took all of two days to lock Tootie down and film.  Bring it, AD!

And as for Bateman not speaking about “specifics” regarding casting, I think we all know what that means.  I’m looking at you, Michael Cera!

For reals, WHAT is Michael Cera doing right now that’s preventing him from commiting to filming this darn movie?  Seriously, give me a call and let me know, Mike.