It's official, Community fans: the study group is reunited for the long-awaited Community movie. Ever since the show's second season, the fan rally cry of "six seasons and a movie" has plagued the show's stars and creators. Now, the movie is confirmed to be in production, and will debut on Peacock sometime in 2023.
While Joel McHale, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong are all confirmed to return for the film, many fan-favorite Community cast-mates are at the moment not attached to the film. These characters are simply must-haves for the upcoming reunion, whether it be through a cameo or a starring role in the film.
10 Elroy Patashnik
Keith David joined the cast of Communityin its Yahoo-exclusive sixth season as Elroy, the newest member of the Save Greendale Committee. Very quickly, Elroy became a beloved character, thanks to his chemistry with the cast and his scientific genius. However, he made a quick exit in the series finale when the character left Greendale, unsure if he would return.
Perhaps a Community movie is the perfect vehicle for Elroy to come back to Greendale. The character has had many iconic moments that fans would love to see more of, like his effort of encouraging white people at Garrett's wedding, or his love of 90s bands like "Natalie is Freezing," which he shares with Britta.
9 Gilbert Lawson
Giancarlo Esposito, of Breaking Bad fame, made two guest appearances in Community as Gilbert, the half-brother of Pierce Hawthorne. Gilbert served as the personal assistant to Pierce's father for many years, but when he died, he thrust the study group into a video game to fight for Pierce's inheritance, eventually reconnecting with his lost brother.
Gilbert then re-appeared in a season 4 episode where the study group find themselves trapped in Pierce's mansion. Given Giancarlo Esposito's popularity in fandom communities for his roles in Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian, and The Boys, it would be a great opportunity to get him for a Community movie, possibly filling the hole of Chevy Chase.
8 Rick
Rick is introduced in the show's third season, under the name "Subway." As a corpo-humanoid, Rick is meant to act as a human embodiment of the sandwich shop, though his job is sabotaged by his romantic affair with Britta Perry. Eventually, their love becomes star-crossed as "Subway" is unfortunately replaced by another spokesperson.
Rick later returns to Greendale in season six, acting again as a guerilla marketing spokesperson for Honda. He resumes his relationship with Britta, until his need to promote Honda's products interferes with their ability to be a real couple. Needless to say, Rick's return in a Community movie would lead to some serious heartbreak for Britta.
7 Buzz Hickey
Jonathan Banks is the second Breaking Bad alum to join the cast of Community, this time in season 5. As former cop-turned-criminology professor (a role eerily similar to that of Mike in Breaking Bad), Buzz Hickey becomes a member of the Save Greendale Committee. His interactions with characters like Abed make him a welcome addition to the group.
Though Banks did not return for season six, it's possible he will make a cameo or larger appearance in the highly-anticipated film. Perhaps Hickey has found success with his comic strip, "Jim the Duck" after all these years. A brief moment in season six seemed to imply that Hickey was dead, but perhaps this could be retconned for the return of TV royalty.
6 Rachel
Before she was an Oscar winner and Captain Marvel in the MCU, Brie Larson played a recurring role in seasons 4 and 5 of Community as Rachel, Abed's girlfriend. Abed meets her while she's working the coat check room at Greendale's numerous school dances. Like Abed, she has a love of TV and movies, as well as VCR board games.
Though Rachel's appearances in the show are limited due to Larson's burgeoning film career, perhaps some space can be made in her schedule for a Community reunion. That would especially be earned if the Community movie actually took place at a Greendale class reunion, where Abed finds her working the coat check yet again.
5 Ian Duncan
An early recurring character in the world of Greendale is Professor Ian Duncan, played by John Oliver. The character plays a big role in the series' pilot, as a former law client of Jeff's who denies him the opportunity to cheat. Duncan makes several reappearances in the first and second seasons, then returns for an even bigger role in the fifth.
John Oliver's lack of appearance in season six is likely due to the time commitment of his HBO late-night show, Last Week Tonight. However, if schedules happen to align, maybe he can film a cameo in the Community movie during his time off from the program. It would be fun to see the character once more, given his iconic moments from his past appearances.
4 Frankie Dart
Paget Brewster joined Community in its sixth season as Frankie, a consultant hired by Greendale to get things organized. As a new member of the Save Greendale Committee, the study group is off-put by her boringness and lack of whimsy. However, over the course of the final season, she breaks out of her shell and becomes a fan-favorite.
Given Frankie's importance to the show during its last season, it would be hard to imagine a Community movie without her. Particularly if the film brings everyone back to Greendale, it's likely that Frankie is still there, helping the Dean manage the school. The lack of Frankie in a Community movie would certainly be a missed opportunity by Dan Harmon.
3 Pierce Hawthorne
Chevy Chase played the role of business tycoon Pierce Hawthorne for the show's first four seasons. As the oldest member of the original study group, he is both out-of-touch and desperate to be seen as cool by the others. However, the former SNL star's public feud with the show's creator Dan Harmon led to Harmon's firing after season 3.
After Harmon returned for season 5 and Chase left, the character made one brief cameo in the season 5 premiere before being killed off-screen. Pierce's memorial episode, where the characters participate in a polygraph test designed by Pierce, is a series highlight. However, even if it's just another cameo, seeing Chase one more time would be fun.
2 Shirley Bennett
It was quite a shock for Community fans when Yvette Nicole Brown didn't return for the show's sixth season for personal reasons. However, her character Shirley, who was a main part of the study group for five seasons, made several cameo appearances throughout the season. She even made an additional cameo in the show's finale during a fantasy.
It's an even bigger shock that Brown isn't confirmed yet to be returning for the long-awaited Community movie. However, given her closeness to the cast, and her posting about the movie's confirmation on social media, one can assume she'll return in some way. After all, she's been the center of some of the show's most heart-wrenching moments.
1 Troy Barnes
Of course, the most wanted character by fans to show up in the Community movie is Donald Glover's Troy. Glover left the show in its fifth season to pursue his own career, and what a career it's been. Glover became a Grammy winner for his music as Childish Gambino, an Emmy winner for his FX series Atlanta, and became Lando Calrissian.
Glover's return for the Community movie has always been a deciding factor in the movie's possibility. Harmon himself has even mentioned the rescue of Troy from pirates being a potential plot for the movie in the past, and Glover expressed interest in a reunion Zoom in 2020. Suffice it to say, Troy's return to Greendale is a necessary part of this film.