'Arrested Development' Stars Confirm Plans for Show's TV Return

5:24 PM PDT 10/2/2011 by Lacey Rose

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20th Century Fox

Arrested Development

Jason Bateman and Will Arnett -- and creator Mitch Hurwitz -- reveal their intention to revive the beloved comedy with a mini TV season followed by a long-rumored film.

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At a reunion for the beloved Fox comedy at the New Yorker Festival on Sunday, creator Mitch Hurwitz teased the possibility of continuing the 2003-06 series with a truncated nine- to 10-episode "mini-season" leading up to an Arrested film. The news, for which 20th Century Fox TV declined comment, comes after years of rumblings of a big-screen sequel for the critically acclaimed series starring Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Portia de Rossi and Jeffrey Tambor.

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"It's true," Bateman confirmed on Twitter on Sunday afternoon. "We will do 10 episodes and the movie. Probably shoot them all together next summer for a release in early '13."

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Added Arnett, "I'm peeing with @batemanjason at the moment..and we can confirm that we are going to make new AD eps and a movie."

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The intended plans raise a few red flags, including the packed schedules of its cast. Arnett, for instance, is back on TV with a starring role in NBC's Up All Night, while Bateman and Michael Cera are inundated with film work. (According to reports from the festival, Hurwitz suggested each episode would focus on a different character from the series so as to avoid the inevitable scheudling issues.)

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What's more, despite its acclaim -- the comedy earned six Emmy awards -- Arrested never managed to catch on with a broad audience. It was canceled after three seasons, leaving you to wonder whether network executives would be as enthusiastic about the series' return as the comedy's loyal fans.