Mitch Hurwitz Says ‘Arrested Development’ Episodes Will Be “Act One” Of The Movie

The return of "Arrested Development" is a real thing that's actually happening and sounding awesomer than ever, adding John Slattery, with a possible 13 episodes instead of the originally announced 10, all set to drop at the same time next spring on Netflix. Or are they? There are still a million unanswered questions about the show, and while details continue to be kept close to the chest, Mitch Hurwitz gave a few more morsels about where the show is going next. And yes, a movie is possibly still on the table, but don't necessarily expect every new episode at the same time.

"The episodes are an outgrowth of the design of what we hope will be the movie. They precede it. They function as an act one of a movie that we all want to do, but haven't 'sold' yet," Hurwitz told Vulture. "The episodes take the audience through the experiences of the characters since the family 'fell apart' and how they're brought together to deal with their new problems. I would give you a hint as to what those problems are, but, really, why rob the fans of being disappointed when they see it on Netflix."

It would seem that the success of the new episodes will determine the future of any movie, but let's not put the cart in front of the horse for the moment. In fact, just the basic details about the release are still being determined, and if you dreamed about putting on those stretchy pants, opening some root beer and gorging yourself on the new episodes, you might just want to hold for a moment.

"I actually think the strategy for release is up in the air. I know Netflix at one point was talking about streaming them all at once, because that's how they've done it with other shows, and it's their choice. I know it'll be in the spring of 2013, or what the Mayans would call the spring of '1.' But I just love the opportunity we have to be creative with every part of this, from the concept to the delivery," Hurwitz said. "We're trying to embrace both the obstacles, like lack of cast at our disposal, and the advantages — storytelling freedom, lack of commercials — and it's just great to be part of something that will hopefully become another option for original scripted material."

As for the new series itself, Hurwitz describes it as "an anthology version of the show with each episode focusing on a particular character and where they've been since the family fell apart six years ago." He adds, "Each episode is about a character — but we'll see them in each other's shows."

So there's your latest on "Arrested Development," and needless to say, we can't wait for this to come back.