WGA strike delays 'Community' movie as negotiations stall

After nearly completing the script for the Community movie creator Dan Harmon and co-writer Andrew Guest were tossed a curveball; in the shape of the WGA strike.

The holdup came just when creator Dan Harmon was amid negotiations with the ideal director for the movie, star of the film Joel McHale revealed to Variety.

“We had a shooting date coming up, which was going to be in the summer,” McHale told Variety.

“And I think they were extremely close to — I mean, Dan is somebody that tweaks things but, obviously, that’s all stopped. But I think it was pretty darn close. It was close, the shoot date was coming up and we were all excited to do it and then the writers strike happened, which obviously put everything on hold, and rightfully so. The writers are asking for very reasonable things. Writers need to be paid properly.”

The creators and cast of the project are striking in solidarity with Writers Guild Of America and the rest of the writers’ community.

Following a month-long strike by Harmon, McHale, and other members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) remain unresolved. The strike, prompted by issues such as AI and streaming residuals, has affected the progress of the "Community" movie, which was set to begin production this summer on Peacock.

While discussions with potential directors had taken place prior to the strike, no definitive selection had been made, and production dates have become uncertain.

As for the cast, all main members, except Chevy Chase, Donald Glover, and Yvette Nicole Brown, had been announced to return. Chase's absence is confirmed, given his past conflicts with co-stars and Harmon.

Despite the setback caused by the strike, McHale shares Harmon's belief in the filmmaker's ability to rally the cast for the highly anticipated "Community" movie.