Talk of a feature film adaptation of the canceled Fox television series “Arrested Development” just will not go away, and each time it is the nugget of news offered up is so small it is hardly worthy of mention. However, I think enough has happened recently for me to at least ask why everyone is so interested.
Sure, I liked the show, but it ran its course and I can’t imagine a feature film adaptation actually being successful. “Arrested Development” was an acquired taste if there ever was one. It was a show that required the audience to be patient and allow the comedy to grow with each week. This is why the show was soon funny, the longer you stuck with it the more you got to know the characters, and the funnier their antics became. The show got to be so funny in fact they had to cancel it.
Now we have Ron Howard telling MAXIM in the video to the right talking how promising the whole idea is except they need one thing… a script. The Hollywood Reporter added a similar sentiment today saying the film looks like it may land at Fox Searchlight with Mitch Hurwitz writing and directing. We already know the cast wants to do it as we have often heard quotes from Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Jeffrey Tambor talking about how either they would like to do the film or that they have actually heard it is a go.
Tambor was most recently quoted saying:
“Well no, because we’re doing it. We are going. It’s a go. I actually just this week talked to Mitch Hurwitz, so we’re doing it. When the writer calls you, and the director, and the executive producer calls you, it’s a pretty good sign.”
I am not writing this article saying they shouldn’t make the movie, but I am wondering if they do make the movie who is going to go see it? Most often shows that get canceled are canceled because they can’t find an audience or the studio doesn’t know how to market the film to bring the audience in. The show won a Golden Globe, an Art Directors Guild for excellence and two Emmys and yet they couldn’t get anyone to watch it. Perhaps San Francisco Gate’s TV columnist Tim Goodman had it correct back in 2004 when he asked “‘The Wire’ and ‘Arrested Development’ — too smart to make it?” In the article he says the two shows couldn’t be anymore different, but they shared one trait, “relatively speaking, nobody’s watching either of them.”
While “The Wire” managed to eek out five seasons to the joy and satisfaction of several fans, “Arrested Development” managed only two and a miniscule third season to end it all. Perhaps the difference lies with HBO as they didn’t give up on their series, but even “Arrested Development” eyed the cable route and failed to secure a proposed 12 episode deal with Showtime. Is the show poison or did it just boil down to ratings alone as David Cross told Jimmy Kimmel way back when that he isn’t surprised Fox ditched the show considering the ratings reality shows bring in and said, “I hope Fox puts in its place, like, you know, America’s Cutest Retards. What’s left for them to do? We got midgets trying to pull an elephant. What’s left? We’ve got orphans trying to figure out who their dads are…come on. Let’s go with retards. OK? Let’s do it.”
Of course, the film adaptation does have one thing going for it, a growing and vocal fanbase. If Twilight taught us anything it’s that the louder you are the more people pay attention, even if you are screaming incoherently. On top of online fervor even MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann took time out from screaming about Republicans to talk about the potential for an “Arrested Development” movie. While I know an Olbermann endorsement is like getting a birthday party invite from the most annoying person in the world, but it’s TV and the battle needs to begin somewhere.
I have attached the Olbermann clip below along with a funny rant from David Cross giving his reasoning as to why the show was canceled.
Thanks to FilmDrunk for pointing out the MAXIM vid.
