New series and film on the cards

Cult American sitcom Arrested Development is set to return for one more series and a movie, creator Mitch Hurwitz has revealed.

Speaking at the New Yorker festival tonight, he said the series and the movie will be filmed in the autumn of 2012.

There will be nine or ten episodes, each one focussing on what a particular member of the wealthy yet dysfunctional Bluth family has been up to in the six years since the series has been on air. It will then be followed by the long-awaited movie.

He broke the news at a cast reunion event that brought together stars Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, David Cross, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter.

The show ran on Fox from 2003 to 2006, but its ratings never lived up to critical acclaim. The possibility of a movie was referenced in the final episode, but plans have hit a number of hurdles over the past years.

Rumours of a movie spin-off have been swirling since around 2008, when Bateman and Tambor revealed they had been approached about the possibility.

Published: 2 Oct 2011