Community is finally getting a movie. Fulfilling the series’ fourth wall-breaking prophecy, the show will have “six seasons and a movie.” Along with its meta-humor, Community was known for the unique relationships the cast had between themselves. The actors were famous for being friends on and off-screen. But perhaps more famous than their friendship was the drama between creator Dan Harmon and actor Chevy Chase. Harmon played an angry voicemail from Chase on his podcast, and fans of Community got a dirty look underneath the veneer of his character on the show. We can all assume he won’t be back for the reunion.

But beyond the drama, the nature of their relationships reinforced the theme of the show: that it was the people that made Community. That’s why everyone is talking about who is coming back for the feature. Most of the cast is returning. When the announcement happened, Joel McHale (Jeff Winger), Alison Brie (Annie Edison), Danny Pudi (Abed Nadir), Gillian Jacobs (Britta Perry), Ken Jeong (Chang), and Jim Rash (Dean Pelton) all confirmed they would be back to attend junior college one more time.

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But despite being tagged in a lot of the posts on social media, no one knows if Donald Glover (Troy Barnes) or Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley Bennett) will be back to join the rest of the cast. Both had been written off the show before its season 6 finale. Still, fans agree that Community wouldn’t be the same without them.

Community: Where Are They Now?

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As Community matured, it went through some rocky years toward the end. Harmon was fired from the show during its fourth season, then rehired for the fifth. Glover left the show in that fourth season to pursue a music career. Brown left later in the series to care for her sick father. Though other actors were hired to fill the void, the show never felt the same without them.

When NBC dropped the show after the fifth season, Harmon struggled to find another home for the series and managed to make a sixth season on Yahoo’s now-defunct streaming platform. But most people generally agreed that the show had lost its magic after peaking in the third season. By then, Dan Harmon had already created Rick and Morty and thoroughly nurtured his cult status with his podcast, Harmontown. Though Community had died, its fans were still very much devoted to its creator and actors.

But since Community’s fall from grace, its actors have been busy in their own careers. Donald Glover famously went on to have a moderately successful rap career under the moniker Childish Gambino but was even more successful with his TV show Atlanta. Joel McHale went on to have intermittent success in his acting career, appearing on noteworthy shows like The Bear and the Santa Clarita Diet. He even had his own eponymous show at one point, but he never truly regained the leading man status he had in Community.

Yvette Nicole Brown had fairly steady work with some Disney projects and voice-over work; she even appeared in Avengers: Endgame as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Gillian Jacobs has maintained a friendship with Dan Harmon and starred in the Rick and Morty spinoff series Vindicators 2.

Alison Brie has been very successful, perhaps surpassing her Community fame, both in the Netflix series Glow and as the voice of Diane Nguyen in BoJack Horseman. She will also be in Marvel’s new Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur series. Ken Jeong, though originally famous for his role in The Hangover, has appeared in Crazy Rich Asians, Avengers: Endgame and has voiced the recurring dentist character Dr. Yap on Bob’s Burgers.

Danny Pudi has not regained the fame he had in Community but has been involved in several other cult-status projects like Mythic Quest and Knights of Badassdom. And Jim Rash has had steady work both voice acting and in live shows working in things like Harley Quinn, Reno 911!, and Mike Tyson Mysteries.

Donald Glover and Yvette Nicole Brown Might be Busy

Donald Glover and Yvette Nicole Brown were both tagged in Joel McHale’s post for the Community movie announcement, but neither confirmed if they were returning. Both have busy schedules now, and their participation may depend on contracts and previous engagements. Interestingly enough, the announcement comes at a time in their careers when they are set to have some (assumed) availability.

Brown will host the Sentinel Awards on October 25th, but according to her IMDb page, all her current projects have either been completed or are in post-production. But her appearance in the Community movie, though it would make sense in the narrative if it picks up from where the series left off, might depend on her shows’ renewals.

Donald Glover is at an interesting point in his career, with his series Atlanta in its fourth and final season. Rumors circulate about his participation in the forthcoming Lion King movie Mufasa and whether or not the Star Wars series Lando will be produced. For now, we can only hope.