Donald Glover swears he's not the one holding up the Community movie this time

We’re coming up rapidly on the nine-year anniversary of the final episode of Community, a span of time that has, somehow, in no way dissuaded the show’s various stars and creators—except that one—from their intent to actually get a movie based on the series made. (After all, they eventually finagled the “six seasons” part, right?) Dan Harmon’s script for the film has reportedly been written for a while now—Alison Brie has said she’s seen it—and so there are only two lingering question hanging over this thing: Scheduling, and asking whose fault it is that they’re all still hung up on scheduling.

Don’t blame Donald Glover, though—please. Glover addressed the occasional accusations that his busy TV-making schedule has been the major impediment to making the film while, well, performing part of his busy TV-making-duties this week, doing promo for his Amazon show Mr. And Mrs. Smith. “Everybody is hating on me on the internet and it’s not me!” Glover said when asked whether his schedule was the reason the film hadn’t been made yet. (Per a joke Joel McHale made back in March, when he said, “We’re basically working around Donald’s schedule.”) Glover says fans have taken that little barb literally, but promises it’s not actually his fault this time. “They’re like, ‘We know that you’re the reason.’ Maybe I was last year—maybe —but not this time.”

As with the whole Community crew—except that one—Glover remains resolutely committed to the project. “It’s happening but I don’t know when. I swear, it’s happening,” he told Deadline. The film was formally announced by Peacock back in 2022, with filming plans disrupted by last year’s strikes; McHale has said he expects shooting to begin some time in 2024.