Brian Grazer: Netflix in Talks for More ‘Arrested Development’

Arrested Development could be making a second triumphant return.

Executive producer Brian Grazer said talks are under way with Netflix to do a second season of the cult comedy and fifth season overall.

“We are in conversations with them to do another,” the co-chairman of Imagine Entertainment told Bloomberg on Thursday. “They are interested in doing that.”

A representative for studio 20th Century Fox Television declined comment on the status of the negotiations but stressed that there are currently no deals in place with the cast or producers for a return.

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For Imagine and 20th TV, the process of reassembling its all-star cast was a difficult one, with each of the 15 “chapters” of the comedy focused on a different cast member. Each of the stars (including Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Portia de Rossi and Michael Cera) was guaranteed at least one starring episode, with sources telling The Hollywood Reporter ahead of Arrested’s May 26 bow that the cast had worked out a complicated deal to reprise their roles from the Fox series.

A second season of Arrested would not be much of a surprise, given it has been a boon to Netflix with the comedy surpassing House of Cards as its biggest hit. Additionally, the series is generating awards-season buzz going into next week’s Emmy nominations.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has said that he wants more of the series from creator Mitchell Hurwitz. “We would love to do more, and we have a deal in place that says that there could be,” he told THR in a May cover story noting that the challenge would again be the logistics. “They’re very in-demand movie and TV stars, and they’re all working full-time and doing this show in between. They did it for the love of the show and for Mitch Hurwitz. If we can muster up that love again, we’d love to do it again.”

For its part, Netflix has renewed the bulk of its original scripted programming including Orange Is the New Black, which premiered this week.

E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
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