Show creator Dan Harmon revealed an encouraging update for fans following the news that the Community movie was in the works. While nothing has been official, he assured with confidence that Glover will return as Barnes for the upcoming movie.

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In an interview with Variety, Harmon stressed that he believes that Glover will return to the role, it just hasn’t been officially confirmed yet. “I think that Donald is coming, based on word of mouth, but it’s just the deal isn’t official or wasn’t official. It would be difficult to really commit to doing this thing without Donald,” Harmon said. “So I believe he is coming back. I think if there’s names missing from a list, it’s because the names that are on the list, their deals are agreed upon enough that it’s OK to say they are on the list, and anybody that’s not on a list, it’s just not the case yet. So there is nothing official about anybody being out.”

What works in Harmon’s favor for a possible Troy Barnes reunion is that Glover’s well-received comedy Atlanta is also coming to an end. With that done, Glover’s time should be open enough for him to potentially return as Troy, although it depends on if he’s down for it. A common myth is that Glover left Community to focus on his rapping career as Childish Gambino when he has gone on the record saying that he left because he was growing bored with the character. Harmon also did not comment on if Brown or Chase were returning for the movie, though Brown has vocalized her interest in playing Shirley Bennett in the movie.

Fans should be encouraged about his return for more reasons than Harmon’s confidence. Glover has had recent interactions with the Community cast, as he was involved in their cast read-along back in 2020 when the pandemic was in full effect. Not only that, but Glover was also involved in a full Q&A with the Community cast afterward. Evidently, he still has a rapport with his former castmates and the show itself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have returned in the first place. Again, it all depends on if he wants to play the character again, which is entirely up to him.

It goes without saying that should Glover reprise his role Troy, the Community movie would stand to benefit a lot from his return. Troy Barnes truly was the glue that made Community the excellent show that it was when it was in its prime. Community prided itself on being a layered parody, and Glover portrayed that masterfully as Barnes. Even though he was seen as a normal albeit dumb character, he had a strong sense of oddity to him that helped him connect with everyone in the cast, particularly Abed, who was better utilized when his chemistry with Troy was put on display. The movie could survive in terms of quality without Troy Barnes, much like the show did, but it’s not hard to see why they would need him back.

The Community movie will be released as a Peacock exclusive.

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Source: Variety