Dan Harmon has all but confirmed the likelihood of a Community movie, promising it’s a “matter of when and not if”.

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Speaking to The Wrap, the creator of the hit sitcom revealed that he has finished a story outline for the film, and that negotiations are now underway.

“Conversations and agreements are happening,” said Harmon. “There’s a story–who knows if we’ll end up sticking to it, but it was something we had to compile in order to take it out and court various venues. And now, negotiations happen.”

Claiming that the film is now an inevitability, he added: “When you put the percentage chances together it’s like you have to account for maybe the world blowing up or another virus happening. But as far as the industry is concerned, this is a matter of when and not if, for sure.”

Earlier this month, Alison Brie, who played Annie Edison in the comedy series, confirmed that “legitimate conversations” for a Community film were taking place.

Echoing her optimism was co-star Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley Bennett), who recently expressed her belief that the project would go ahead, with fellow cast members Donald Glover, Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs and Danny Pudi all likely to return.

Created by Harmon, Community spanned six seasons from September 2009 to April 2014. NBC cancelled the show after five seasons, with the sixth season airing on Yahoo’s now-defunct streaming service, Yahoo Screen.

The expectation of a movie sequel comes from a reference within the show where character Abed (Pudi) concludes that the most successful and acclaimed TV shows consist of six seasons and a movie.

Set within a community college in Colorado, the show also starred Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase and Jim Rash. The series was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards – and won one – over the course of its run.

Elsewhere, Brie is set to reunite with Pudi in romantic comedy film Somebody I Used To Know, directed by Dave Franco. It’s expected to be released later this year.