Arrested Development season 5: Ron Howard hopeful

Arrested Development fans have done their fair share of waiting over the years, but executive producer Ron Howard is hoping it won’t be long before the return of the Bluths.

While promoting his latest film In the Heart of the Sea on Good Morning America, Howard was asked about season 5’s status. “Well, Mitch Hurwitz, the creator of the show, is working with writers now,” Howard said. “Netflix is behind it, 20th Century Fox is behind it.”

Earlier this year, EP Brian Grazer announced that season 5 would be another 17 episodes on Netflix, and since then, it’s just been a matter of when.

“It’s hopeful – what has happened is that the cast has become so freakin’ in demand and busy. Everyone wants to do it. Fans want it. I would be saddened if we didn’t achieve it,” Howard said.

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Since the release of season 4, much of the cast has been busy working on other projects. Jeffrey Tambor and Tony Hale are earning nominations and awards for their roles on Transparent and Veep, Portia de Rossi has a recurring role on Scandal, and Jason Bateman recently starred in films Horrible Bosses 2 and The Gift.

The critically acclaimed cult favorite originally aired from 2003–2006 on Fox before being canceled. After years of fan persistence, the show returned for 15 episodes on Netflix in 2013.

Check out the clip below for Howard’s interview.