Arrested Development, the critically acclaimed US comedy show, is returning for a new series and movie. Five years since the show was last broadcast, creator Mitchell Hurtwitz confirmed the new series of Arrested Development would act as a prelude to a movie spin off, reports the New York Times.
The show, starring Jason Bateman, told the story of the wealthy but dysfunctional Bluth family who lived excessive lifestyles. Known for its hand-held camera work, archival photos and historical footage, Arrested Development earned six Emmy Awards, one Golden Globe and widespread acclaim. Speaking at the New Yorker Festival on Sunday (2nd October 2011), Hurwitz revealed the cast were "trying to do a limited-run series into the movie", adding, "We're basically hoping to do nine or 10 episodes, with almost one character per episode". Bateman, who recently starred in 'Horrible Bosses', spoke optimistically about the project, saying, "There's business left to be done, but creatively we are all on board and have a very specific plan about how it would come out and what we would do and when we would shoot it. I think we're targeting next summer to shoot it". Hurwitz said the new series could be broadcast in late 2012, while Bateman predicted the movie would probably be released in early 2013.
Despite originally being broadcast on the Fox network, Deadline.com claim Netflix and cable broadcaster Showtime are set to distribute the new episodes.