After the actor's name was missing from the original announcement, creator Dan Harmon seemingly confirms Donald Glover's return in the Community movie. The Emmy Award-winning actor starred in the first five seasons of the acclaimed NBC sitcom as Troy Barnes, a former high school star quarterback who lost his college scholarship after he injured himself attempting a keg flip. Initially a stereotypical jock and bully, Troy eventually warms up to the study group and befriends the pop culture-obsessed Abed Nadir.
Community was canceled by NBC in 2015 due to low ratings, though its sixth and final season was picked up by the defunct streaming service Yahoo! Screen. Still, the show's cult following held out hope for "six seasons and a movie," which came true this past September when Peacock finally greenlit a Community movie with original stars Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Gillian Jacobs, Alison Brie, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong returning. However, Glover's name was conspicuously missing from the initial announcement, and Harmon later revealed Glover's Community deal was still being ironed out.
Now, Harmon has seemingly confirmed Glover's return in the upcoming Community movie. During a keynote conversation at Variety‘s Business Managers Breakfast, the creator said the Troy actor is "down to clown" in the project. Read what Harmon said below:
For lack of a better word, there was a ball fumbled… [Glover] is down to clown. Man, I would not want to think about making [the movie] without Donald.
The Community Movie Wouldn't Be The Same Without Donald Glover
Just as Harmon says, the Community movie wouldn't have been the same without Glover. For five seasons of the show, Troy's presence was crucial to the dynamic of the study group, especially as he became best friends with Abed. This key relationship was the driving force behind some of Community's best storylines and episodes. Their zany friendship was perhaps best exemplified by their imaginary talk show, "Troy and Abed in the Morning!" In fact, Troy's sudden departure from Community after season 5 left a huge void in Abed's life, and many fans felt the show just wasn't the same after that. After having spent so many years campaigning for a proper Community movie, it wouldn't have felt right for audiences if key figures were missing from the ensemble.
With Glover's return in the Community movie confirmed by Harmon, the only original cast member missing is Yvette Nicole Brown (save for Chevy Chase, who isn't expected to return due to various issues). It's unclear what could be holding up Brown's return, though the Glover news is a promising sign indicating that the Shirley actor is also in talks to return, and a deal between the two sides is imminent. For now, fans can relish the fact that Glover is returning for the Community movie.
Source: Variety