Arrested is happening

Searching the JoBlo archives, I’ve found that we’ve done a lot of rumor reporting on the “is-it-happening?” ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT feature over the past few years, whether it’s Jason Bateman saying “full steam ahead” or Michael Cera countering with “not so fast.” But now, without a doubt, unless some cosmic disaster strikes, everyone is on board and the ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT movie IS happening, as this latest story out of THR would seem to prove.

“Arrested Development” creator Mitchell Hurwitz and his co-executive producer James Vallely are working on a screenplay for the long-debated feature version of their short-lived Fox series. Even as they prep a new Fox comedy series with “Arrested” star Will Arnett, the writers are spinning more bizarre encounters for the eccentric, spoiled Bluth clan for possible feature production in the spring.

As in, this spring? Hot damn! Maybe it’s just because I recently rewatched all three seasons over the past two weeks, but I’m out of my mind excited for this project, even though I really have no idea what it will be like.

TV-into-movie adaptations are always tricky, as the obvious worry is that a film is just going to be a few episodes slapped together. But there is a way to do it right, and I would point to another prematurely killed show as an example, “Firefly,” whose film adaptation, SERENITY, was a pitch perfect send-off for the show, and gave fans the closure they so desperately needed.

But unlike “Firefly,” “Arrested” actually did have a pretty well-scripted wrap-up (albeit a bit hurried), so what exactly will a movie look like? How many inside jokes from the series can you cram in to two hours without it feeling forced? But if there’s anyone who can make it work, I believe it’s Mitchel Hurwitz and his obscenely talented cast, and whatever the result, I’m looking forward to this project perhaps more than any other film that’s been announced at this point.