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Arrested Development Season 5 - Partially A Prequel???

Started by Small Man Big Horse, January 24, 2017, 01:27:47 PM

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Small Man Big Horse

Well it's been rumoured for ages but now looks likely to happen, so I though it was time for a thread. However this story suggests terrible things are afoot:

QuoteGet ready to see the Bluth clan like you've never seen them before — and we mean that literally.

Although Netflix declined to confirm/comment, TVLine has learned exclusively that Arrested Development's long-gestating fifth season will likely have a major prequel element, with potentially half of the action unfolding in flashbacks featuring much younger versions of all the principal characters (played by different actors).

The move, which an insider notes isn't entirely set in stone, would go a long way in clearing Season 5's major scheduling hurdle (i.e. corralling the insanely busy cast at the same time) without having to resort to Season 4's polarizing standalone-character format. "More of the episodes can now include all of the original cast together, with lots of big group family scenes," says a source.

Arrested Development EP Brian Grazer hinted at a possible scheduling-related format shakeup earlier this month at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, telling reporters, "I think we found a way to create the compensation structure for all the actors and create a work matrix so they can still make movies and do other things and it will all integrate." Grazer previously teased that Season 5 would feature 17 new episodes. Rumor has it production is slated to begin in June.

http://tvline.com/2017/01/23/arrested-development-season-5-prequel-new-cast-flashbacks/

I just hope this isn't the case, as the flashbacks with Seth Rogen last season were pretty shockingly weak.

Twed


Black_Bart

QuoteI just hope this isn't the case, as the flashbacks with Seth Rogen last season were pretty shockingly weak.

Unless they start pumping Tambor and Walter with botox...

DrGreggles

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on January 24, 2017, 01:27:47 PM
I just hope this isn't the case, as the flashbacks with Seth Rogen last season were pretty shockingly weak.

The woman playing young Lucille was good though.

Not sure how much to read into that story anyway. AD has always been full of flashbacks.

Mobius

Quote from: DrGreggles on January 24, 2017, 04:04:47 PM
The woman playing young Lucille was good though.

That was Kristin Wiig

This sounds shit, and I don't reckon they'll do it. One of the biggest letdowns with season 4 was them not being in the same room together, so I dunno how having other people play different versions of them will make anyone happier.

Bhazor


alan nagsworth

hey here's an idea lads, instead of doing a half-cut idea where you go to all manner of shitty lengths to accomodate the INSANELY BUSY cast just to flog the rotten teeth of a dead horse into the dirt, howzabout just not fucking doing anything at all eh? hmm?

up_the_hampipe

I doubt this is true. They made a mistake by splitting them all up for season 4, but they're not stupid. They know that this specific ensemble cast is what makes the show work (and the great writing, obviously, but clearly not just that).

Eh, I would hope not, you would think they would've learned from Season 4 if this was an actual possibility. Should have just let sleeping dogs lie.

Repeater

I'll watch but I'll be like that, "naaaahhhh mate". Hopefully no Rogen involvement.

Small Man Big Horse

The fifth season has finally been officially commissioned - http://splitsider.com/2017/05/netflix-officially-renews-arrested-development-for-a-fifth-season/ - no news on whether they're going down the prequel road though, we can just pray and hope it's not the case.

DrGreggles

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on May 17, 2017, 03:30:34 PM
The fifth season has finally been officially commissioned - http://splitsider.com/2017/05/netflix-officially-renews-arrested-development-for-a-fifth-season/ - no news on whether they're going down the prequel road though, we can just pray and hope it's not the case.

The whole cast have signed on, which is why it's now confirmed.
Apparently Bateman and Arnett were holding out until they were guaranteed that it would be an ensemble thing again, so that bodes well*.

*even though I personally enjoyed s04, it'll be good to have the band back together in more scenes

JamesTC

I really liked Season 4 too. I think the only thing wrong was the order they released the episodes. Keeping the Gob, Tobias and Buster episodes for the middle and end of the season was a mistake. I don't think I've laughed more at something in Arrested Development than "Daddy wants to get his rocks off".

Glad season 5 is finally arriving. Hopefully a return to an ensemble will see it do well and will bode well for more after too.

selectivememory

Yeah, I really liked Season Four. It takes a while to pay off, but the final few episodes really come together in a hugely satisfying way. Fake Block is one of my favourite AD jokes from any of the seasons.

So yeah, if they've got the ensemble cast I'm very up for this, although the flashback thing does sound terrible so I hope they don't do that.

a peepee tipi

Great! I liked Season 4 as well, but if the Bateman/Arnett thing is true I'm glad as I have more confidence in an ensemble focus then in another "compromise" season.

Small Man Big Horse

Thought I'd bump this as shooting finally began on August 8th - and this Den of Geek article has a few new bits of info along with some photos - http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/arrested-development/34873/arrested-development-season-5-new-picture-from-the-set - So it looks like the prequel rumours weren't true, thankfully.

Enzo

thank god. Seth Rogen should be nowhere near the show.

RedRevolver

I heard that they were going to do a murder mystery thing, in the style of Clue, with the help of Gene Parmesan who was THE Colonel Mustard.

Plot was going to be about how they all had a motive to murder Lucille 2.

I thought it sounded interesting and made a lot of sense. Was it even confirmed Lucille 2 actually died? I can't imagine Liza wants to do anymore, sadly.

Regardless.....sanhdajksdnjksanhdmorearresteddevelopment!

Gwen Taylor on ITV


Thursday

Quote from: Bhazor on January 24, 2017, 10:19:11 PM
"Insanely busy"

Yeah I'm not sure, most of them are insanely busy, they just don't want to devote much time  to it because they can't be arsed, clearly.

*edit* Just realised I'm responding to an old comment. Oh well it's fine.

I'm somewhat of a season 4 apologist. But I just don't think there's much point here. We had the revival to give the show a chance at a sort of victory lap, but that's done now, I don't think anybody is crying out for another season that won't actually be like the 3 seasons (or 2) that everyone loved.

touchingcloth


touchingcloth

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on September 22, 2017, 07:14:54 PM
Thought I'd bump this as shooting finally began on August 8th - and this Den of Geek article has a few new bits of info along with some photos - http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/arrested-development/34873/arrested-development-season-5-new-picture-from-the-set - So it looks like the prequel rumours weren't true, thankfully.

It's good that it sounds like the whole cast is being brought back as a proper ensemble, because in series 4 it was really hard to stop thoughts about the logistics of making the show enter your head - you could practically visualise the schedules of each cast member slotting in AD around all of their other filming commitments.

If they couldn't have brought the whole gang back properly, though, I actually thought the idea of adding in prequel elements with an entirely new cast had the potential to be quite good. Series 4 really suffered from only having the main cast together in the same place for about three different scenes, so I think I'd rather see an unknown cast in some classic AD story arcs than the classic cast working on a compromised script.


AsparagusTrevor

Seth Rogan was such a weird, shit choice for George Sr, since George Sr is nothing like Seth Rogan and Seth Rogan only does 'Seth Rogan'. At least Kristen Wiig acted like Lucille.

colacentral

The OP mentions doing it half-prequel to get around scheduling issues, but then says there'll be 17 episodes. Maybe to get around the scheduling they should just do significantly less episodes? They would be able to get the whole cast together for a movie shoot, so let's say double or triple the number of hours - 4 / 6 episodes - and do it that way. That has to be a better solution than making something both long and unsatisfying.

amputeeporn

Yeah, huge vote here for shorter episodes, bleeped swear words* and ensemble cast.

I must have watched the first three seasons through five or six times, and pushed them successfully on many friends and family. I just couldn't even finish the 4th. Me and the gf were just so bored, and it became really sad and awkward to realise we'd gone through whole episodes with no laughs at all. Might have made it if they'd been 22 mins, but some felt double that...

*Surely I'm mis-remembering this changing in S4? So clearly funnier.

Thursday

Quote from: colacentral on October 13, 2017, 05:48:58 PM
The OP mentions doing it half-prequel to get around scheduling issues, but then says there'll be 17 episodes. Maybe to get around the scheduling they should just do significantly less episodes? They would be able to get the whole cast together for a movie shoot, so let's say double or triple the number of hours - 4 / 6 episodes - and do it that way. That has to be a better solution than making something both long and unsatisfying.

The OP is now out of date information, look at SMBH's post.

Sexton Brackets Drugbust

Quote from: amputeeporn on October 15, 2017, 01:12:50 AM
Yeah, huge vote here for shorter episodes, bleeped swear words* and ensemble cast.

I must have watched the first three seasons through five or six times, and pushed them successfully on many friends and family. I just couldn't even finish the 4th. Me and the gf were just so bored, and it became really sad and awkward to realise we'd gone through whole episodes with no laughs at all. Might have made it if they'd been 22 mins, but some felt double that...

*Surely I'm mis-remembering this changing in S4? So clearly funnier.

Season 4s swearing was still beeped.

colacentral

Quote from: Thursday on October 15, 2017, 09:17:08 AM
The OP is now out of date information, look at SMBH's post.

The article says "it's unclear if there's any truth to" the prequel element and doesn't quote the number of episodes, and we don't know specifically how they've managed to get people together this time - if it was all scenes shot on a single day or two for example. The point still stands.

JoeyBananaduck

Why not just do 8 episodes instead of 15 where 50% doesn't have the actual cast in it? Or do what Gilmore Girls did on Netflix and have 4 movie length ones throughout a year? I don't know. I hope they don't fuck it over again - that'd probably be the final nail in the coffin.