Community Star Joel McHale Reveals Update on Community Movie

After six seasons on Community, Joel McHale was not certain that fans would ever get the movie they wanted so badly — but now, he says he feels more optimistic than ever about the possibility. The series, which ran for five years on NBC before moving to Yahoo! Screen (remember that streaming service? Nobody else does either, don’t feel bad), has been a big hit on streaming, giving fans a chance to rewatch the show from the beginning and revel in the mountains of pop culture jokes, high-concept comedy, and brilliantly-realized sitcom characters. That seems to have revitalized interest in a movie on the part of people who have the money to potentially make one.

Community centered on a group of misfits who became friends as part of a study group in a community college. Besides McHale, the series starred Donald Glover, Alison Brie, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi, Chevy Chase, and Oscar winner Jim Rash. 

“I’m setting aside all the money to make [the movie] happen,” McHale joked, then told ComicBook’s Chris Killian more seriously, “Before when I’d answer the question, I’d be like, ‘Maybe, I have no idea.’ But now, with its success on the streamers during the pandemic, the interest has returned. I would say it’s more likely than it was before, definitely, but it’s like building an aircraft carrier. You go, ‘We’re gonna do this, right? Yeah, okay, everybody’s here, we got the money.’ Now, this thing has to actually get built. There’s a lot more than just ‘Hey, let’s make a movie now, great.’ It’s a lot of moving parts. So I’m more positive than I was, definitely, but we’ll see. That’s a terrible answer, but definitely better than my answer two years ago.”

At one point in the series, when Abed (Pudi) fell in love with a TV show that’s destined for a quick cancellation, he denied it by shouting “six seasons and a movie!” For fans of a show that was constantly living on the cancellation bubble, it became an instant battle cry. Once the show got its improbable sixth season, it started to feel like a movie was inevitable.

McHale sat down with ComicBook.com as part of his Gold Hunters campaign with Rold Gold pretzels. Here’s all those details, for anybody who wants to get in on the fun:

Now through September 11, pretzel fans and pop culture lovers can tune into Rold Gold’s social media channels, including @RoldGold (Twitter), to find clues that point to ’80s film classics, iconic ’90s sitcoms, recent comedy and drama shows, sporting events, non-Rold Gold® advertising, and more moments where they’ll find bags of Rold Gold® embedded, including the brand’s newest bag design. Clues will also pop on digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and IMDB throughout the campaign, and all clues will be live on RoldGold.com as of June 27. 

Consumers who solve the clues – or spot Rold Gold® on their own – can share they’ve “found gold” on Twitter with a tweet using #FoundGold and #Entry, or by simply commenting on the initiating tweet with the two hashtags. With that, they’ll be entered to be one of 60 random winners who will take home part of the more than $106,000 in real gold.

Actor, comedian, host, and pop culture expert Joel McHale joins Rold Gold’s Gold Hunters™ campaign – acting as a clue himself as he teases a pop culture moment in which he and Rold Gold® both appear. McHale will share his Gold Hunters™ clue via his Instagram on July 6.