Joel McHale Says Donald Glover Will Be Back for Community Movie on Peacock

The last we heard about the long-awaited Community movie, the film had been delayed, like so many other projects, due to the ongoing writers strike. That's rough for fans who've already been waiting years for the "and a movie" half of "six seasons and a movie" to be fulfilled, but the good news is that when the movie does start filming, it will definitely have one of the most beloved members of the study group back in the fold. 

Speaking to Kelly Ripa on her Let's Talk Off Camera podcast, Community star Joel McHale seemingly confirmed that Donald Glover, who left the series back in Season 5 to work on his own projects, will indeed be back as star athlete turned study group member Troy Barnes. Of the core cast, Glover's involvement was the most in question, as he's been busy with plenty of film and TV work in the years since he left the show, not to mention his musical work as Childish Gambino. 

"Donald's coming back and that's really important," McHale said. "The fact that Donald's gonna do it, that was the big piece. But I think everyone's coming back. I mean, so far we're pretty good. And I think that will happen. If not then, you know, Donald will be there."

RELATED: Dan Harmon Says Donald Glover is "Down to Clown" for Community Movie

Earlier this year, Glover himself seemed to confirm his involvement in the project, while also stressing that he knew absolutely nothing about what Community creator Dan Harmon had planned for the show's return. 

"We're supposed to be shooting it soon," Glover said back in April. "Haven't seen a script, don't know. In true Dan fashion, will probably get it on the first day. It's supposed to be happening, but I know just as much about it as you do."

Glover seems to join returning cast members McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, and Yvette Nicole Brown as members of the core Glendale study group. In the same interview, McHale confirmed that former co-star Chevy Chase, who exited the series after clashes with Harmon, would not be part of the film. 

After years of speculation and hope from both Harmon and the cast, the Community movie was finally officially greenlit last year as a Peacock original film, giving fans the concluding chapter they've long hoped for. The question now is when exactly we'll end up seeing it. The film was reportedly set to start production this summer, but due to the writers strike that's now on hold, and McHale's hoping that next summer is a possible starting point. Hopefully we'll get another update on the timeline soon, but for now rest easy in the knowledge that Glover is planning to be part of the film whenever it finally appears.

The Community movie is coming exclusively to Peacock.