'Arrested Development' Movie Still In The Outline Stage, Michael Cera Says

Bad news, "Arrested Development" fans. A couple months back, The Hollywood Reporter gave us what seemed like a glimmer of hope for the much-anticipated Arrested Development movie. They reported that series mastermind and soon-to-be movie director (we hope) Mitch Hurwitz and co-executive producer James Vallely were working on the screenplay.

"Working on" doesn't necessarily equate to "writing," unfortunately. We met up with Michael Cera, George-Michael Bluth himself, while he was promoting his new film "Youth in Revolt," and of course we couldn't resist begging for any news on the film.

"I don't have any updates, no," Cera told us. "They haven't written it yet. They're working on outlining it right now."

So at least some sort of progress is being made. No new uses of "I've made a huge mistake" have been put on paper, but progress, any progress at all, is a good thing. Cera said the film is on the backburner while Hurwitz is working on a new project, but echoed the hopeful statements made by Jason Bateman earlier this year, that the project could be underway soon.

"I think hopefully it will happen next year," he said.

Cera was reportedly the odd man out when it came to "Arrested Development" stars signing onto the film, so we asked him if he kept in touch with his fellow costars outside of work.

"I mean, you know, I try to see them whenever I can, but everyone's doing their own thing," he admitted.

He did say that he spent Halloween with Alia Shawkat and "Juno" costar Ellen Page (both of whom starred in Drew Barrymore's "Whip It!" together). What did he go as?

"I went as a sexy rapist," Cera replied without blinking. At least he's still got his dry sense of humor.

Is Will Arnett Holding up the Arrested Development Movie with his Illusions?

Production on the Arrested Development movie is living up to the movie's name a little too well, and even though Michael Cera was long thought to be the reason, now it appears that Will "GOB" Arnett is the one causing the delay. Although AD creator Mitch Hurwitz was supposed to be working on the film's script this summer, Arnett told the New York Daily News that he and Hurwitz have been a little distracted.

"The Arrested Development movie is definitely going to happen," Arnett said on Saturday. "But Mitch and I have been working on the new show, so unfortunately for the movie, we have been focusing on that for the last couple of months."

The new show, Arnett said, is about a rich and powerful man who realizes he doesn't actually have much to contribute to the world.

"And no, I'm not drawing on my personal life for this one," he quipped.

Still, Arnett assured the Daily News, there is some progress on the Arrested Development movie.
"We're definitely not starting from page one," he said. "There are scripts in order."
You'd better not be lying to us, Will Arnett, because you would be making a huge mistake.

Original Link

Progress On ‘Arrested Development’ Movie Slows As Creator Concentrates On Other Projects, Says Ron Howard

Go the the original page here

Published by Eric Ditzian on Thursday, April 30, 2009 at 11:56 am.

If you’re like any of us at MTV News, you’re probably wondering what keeps holding up the big screen adaptation of “Arrested Development” from moving forward. Well, now we have our answer: the new Fox show, “Sit Down, Shut Up.”

Mitch Hurwitz’s animated comedy debuted earlier this month, and between writing and producing that series, and developing other television projects, the “Arrested” creator hasn’t had a chance to start writing a script for his Emmy-winning Fox show that was canceled in 2006, says “Arrested” producer/narrator Ron Howard.

“Still waiting on a script,” Howard told MTV News this week. “Mitch’s television company was very successful—good for Mitch—and slowed things up a little bit for ‘Arrested Development’ fans.”

While not actively writing a script, Hurwitz is still keeping the wheels turning when it comes to the Bluth family and their particular brand of dysfunctional dark comedy. “Mitch is into it,” said Howard. “He’s thinking about it. He’s told me some of the ideas. They’re hilarious. But he hasn’t pulled it together into a script—that I know of! Maybe he’ll see this and email me something.”

Howard also said that castmembers remained committed to the project. “Every time I bump into anyone from the show—everybody’s excited,” Howard said, which is great news considering all the “is he in or is he out?” gossip that has surrounded the adaptation.

But don’t expect casting news regarding Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera and others any time soon: in February, Howard told us, “We’ve been asked to no longer divulge anything or get into the game of who’s in, who’s out. People are going to have to see.”

When the movie does get going in earnest, Hurwitz will assume directing duties, while Howard will produce. And, thankfully, he’ll be hanging on to one other position as well. “Nobody can keep me from being the narrator,” Howard said. “That’s my gig, buddy!”

Will Arnett discusses Arrested Development Movie

By Nick Allen • April 16, 2009

Hopefully this isn’t another con from the Bluth family.

The heavily-anticipated film adaptation of the cult TV series has just gotten a small update from one of its key players, actor Will Arnett. For those unfamiliar with the show, Arnett plays a struggling magician who is a member of the uber dysfunctional Bluth Family. The show (and later the film), includes actors like Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia De Rossi and David Cross.

Speaking to MTV News, Arnett offered a few words on the status of the project. He said:

“There’s no script as of right now, but it’s something that Mitch [Hurwitz] is actively working on and getting ready for, and we’re hoping to start shooting by the end of the year. I know that’s one of the goals. There are a lot of pieces that have to come together. There are what, like, nine cast members plus various people like Mitch and [producer and narrator] Ron Howard, and everybody kind of has to get their brain around this one delicious souffle.”

Other than what Arnett has dished out, the “souffle” hasn’t made too much progress in recent months. Michael Cera finally signed on to play his character George-Michael (possibly the penultimate of Cera roles), and Ron Howard expressed interest in the project a couple months back.

Concerning the media’s attention on the film, Arnett said something that couldn’t be more true. “God, I’ve never known a movie whose ever step of development has been as closely followed,” he said. “This movie’s gonna be such a disaster.”

George-Michael Bluth

Name: George-Michael Bluth
Birthday: March 2, 1990
Occupation: Mr. Manager of Banana Stand, Former Administrative Assistant for the Bluth Company
Current Residence: Cabo
Son of: Tracy & Michael Bluth
Marital Status: Married to Maeby Fünke
Best Physical Activity: Hanging motionless on the monkey bar
Favorite Movies: Les Cousins Dangereux
Police Record: Stolen bike (vicitm), Breaking into the permit office
People Who Finished Ahead of Him in Class President Voting: Indian kid, Bart Simpson, School Sucks
Favorite Albums: The Jerky Boys
Skills: Star Wars Reenactments, Finely tuned internal clock
Portrayed by: Michael Cera
George-Michael Bluth Quotes:

• "Yeah, I'm going to need a leather jacket for when I'm on my hog and need to go into a controlled slide."
• "Way to plant, Ann."
• "Hey Dad, they're out of sanitary napkins in the lady's washroom."
• "Yeah, pretty soon I'm gonna have to start wearing a bra, right?"
  

Movie Looks Like a Go

Link: http://www.411mania.com/movies/news/97878/%5BMovies%5D-The-Latest-on-Arrested-Development.htm


Michael Cera reportedly is in!

According to E! Online, Michael Cera, who was the last major hold out for the proposed Arrested Development film is now reportedly ready to reprise his role as George Michael Bluth for the film.

Also, E! Online is reporting that Oscar winning director Ron Howard, who served as the executive producer for the Fox series, will direct the movies for Fox Searchlight. Howard recently stated…

"It's looking very much like we're going to make [the movie], but we've now been asked to stop offering any details. It's cloaked in a little mystery, but it's looking good."

Mitchell Hurwitz, who created the series, is currently working on the script. The film could begin shooting by the end of 2009.

Movie News...Well, One Man's Opinion

Link: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/5-0&fp=49901eb0070dbe74&ei=UomQSeL-BoaqNqD7-a8K&url=http%3A//www.dailytexanonline.com/movie_column_will_arrested_sell_on_the_big_screen-1.1360142&cid=0&sig2=-3J1PAJbeP5tpPkDc6pDIA&usg=AFQjCNFWI0hGALT5RyTwLLG-lVU5ONcMFQ

Daily Texan Staff

Published: Monday, February 9, 2009

Rumors of an Arrested Development movie have been swirling for months; Everyone from Will Arnett to Jason Bateman has displayed interest in reprising their parts. The show’s creator, Mitchell Hurwitz, dropped hints last week that a movie was on.

Only Michael Cera, George Michael, recently said that he wanted to see the script before committing. Cera, star of movies such as “Juno” and “Superbad,” finds himself in the peculiar position of having to shake off the effects of stereotyping without displeasing the show’s unusually vocal fans.

“Arrested Development” fans feel a strong sense of ownership when it comes to the Bluth family; They have hijacked the show’s comedic style and cult status to assert their own intellectual identity. They want a mainstream movie out of this — perhaps to validate their good taste — while claiming that the show’s low ratings were a sign that it was too classy for most audiences.

This declaration sidesteps the curious fact that the show was willing to indulge in supposedly low-brow slapstick. In truth, “Arrested Development” tried a little bit of everything: goofy lines, risque lines, awkward pauses, non-sequiturs, inside jokes, obvious jokes, jokes that make you laugh out loud, jokes that make you smile inwardly, verbal puns, visual puns — and then each of these styles layered on some of the others.

Take, for instance, Tobias Funke and his obsession with the Blue Man Group, a minor narrative arc that extends mainly over the course of season two. At different points, whether or not Tobias is in the frame, his (blue) palm prints can be spotted all over the house and, a couple of times, even on his brother-in-law Michael’s shirt. On one level, this is funny because of the visual gag. On another level, it is funny in a surreal way to be confronted by a character who for no particular reason is obsessed with men covered in a coat of blue paint. On a third level, the joke is a pun on the fact that the Bluth family is engaged in the business of building model homes. (The link: blueprints.)

The main reason for the show’s failure was not narrative complexity. It was that viewers were overwhelmed by the different kinds of jokes flying toward them, seemingly without pattern. Self-indulgence in a sitcom works effectively until the audience begins to lose the thread.

Although the show created an arc of intimacy between the Bluth family and the viewer, the characters were extraordinarily unsympathetic. “Arrested Development” went about its business without seeming to care if jokes on themes such as incest — controversial under any circumstances ­— might alienate viewers.

Hurwitz is under pressure from the fan base to deliver a script abound with arbitrary jokes. He will want to persist with this degree of cleverness for artistic reasons. And with any luck, it would pay off with movie audiences, since cinema holds greater pretensions to art than television.

The presence of familiar faces like Cera and Portia de Rossi cannot hurt a complex film’s box-office chances. And given the show’s politics — the plot centered on the situation in Iraq and weapons of mass destruction — the movie script might address the current financial crisis.

An Arrested Development movie will follow in the tradition of TV shows like “Sex and the City,” “The Simpsons” and “Miami Vice,” which all made the transition to big-budget cinema, but unlike those films, “Arrested Development” will probably evoke the feel of an indie production.

Then again, with Ron Howard presumably having a hand, you never know.

It is conceivable that an Arrested Development film might go on to influence the course of comedy in mainstream cinema. Then again, it might not. It’s “Arrested Development.”

Ron Howard Optimistic

Is Michael Cera Signed On?

Optimistic news! This is an article from ReelzChannel.com.

Arrested Development Movie Developing

Prepare to be Arrested at the movie theater soon! Several reports, including this one from IGN say that the gang from Arrested Development will be getting back together for a big-screen version of cult TV series.

Actor Jeffery Tambor, who played Michael Cera's imprisoned grandpa on the show, recently announced, "The movie is going to happen this year, and Michael Cera is on board. Trust me." And a cornered series creator Mitchell Hurwitz has backed up that statement saying, "I'm really optimistic. We're getting close."

Some concern has been raised about getting the series breakout star Michael Cera to sign. He's gone A-List since the TV show ended, but both Hurwitz and Tambor sound optimistic, with Tambor adding, "If I have to call him up and say, 'Get on set right now, young man,' he'll be there."

Movies News

Michael Cera commented on the status of the Arrested Development movie this past week.