Sony Pictures"For once and for all, the Arrested Development movie is happening!" Will Arnett tells us today.
But the big question is whether a certain beloved Bluth will be there: Superbad and Juno star Michael Cera.
That's the word from Arnett, Jason Bateman and producer Mitch Hurwitz, who met with reporters to promote their new animated Fox series, Sit Down, Shut Up.
"I hope so," Hurwitz tells me when asked if Cera will do the big-screen version of Arrested, which Hurwitz describes as "Valkyrie meets Hotel for Dogs." "We're just trying to get all the actors on board."
According to inside sources close to the deal, all of the main Arrested cast members have signed on to the movie except Cera, aka George-Michael Bluth.
"I know he's thinking about it," Bateman tells us. "And we're all awaiting some finality to all of that so Mitch can get writing."
So why is Cera holding out? And what's the movie all about?
"You'd have to get [Michael] on the phone to get his answer about whether he's going to come back and do it or not," Bateman tells us. "He's certainly not said that he won't do it. I think Michael is clearly the guy that has come out of Arrested Development with a very big plate, so I think he's trying to really give some responsible thought to what makes sense for him to do with his career. The guy is 20 years old and I'm sure he doesn't want to screw up this opportunity."
Spoken like a true caring father. (Michael Bluth always was the level-headed one!)
So if Cera doesn't come back? "I was toying with the idea of doing a prequel," Hurwitz tells us, "and doing, like, a CG version of Michael Cera as a little 8-year-old."
But that idea apparently has been abandoned. Hurwitz spills that the movie will most likely jump ahead.
"We're going to pick up five years later, and family dynamics change, but they also kind of stay the same. So hopefully we'll just explore where they are now."
When I asked if Michael (Bateman) and Lindsay (Portia de Rossi) might hook up now that it was revealed they aren't actually related, Hurwitz says, "That's a good idea."
And if Cera does come back, will anything happen with Maeby and George-Michael?
"Something. Yes. I can't say."
What do you say about the prospects of Arrested on the big screen? Will you watch with or without George-Michael?
--Additional reporting by Natalie Abrams