Judging from the way the TV show went down, it would likely be one of the best-reviewed, lowest-grossing films of all time -- but fans of the dearly departed Fox series Arrested Development will doubtless be pleased to hear that a film spinoff is in the works.

E! Online has helped break the news, obtaining confirmation from Jason Bateman that the show's producers, Mitch Hurwitz and Ron Howard, "have put the wheels in motion" for an Arrested Development feature film. Just like everything else these days, the project's start date is dependent on a strike resolution, but Bateman's words are encouraging:

"I can confirm that a round of sniffing has started. Any talk is targeting a poststrike situation, of course. I think, as always, that it's a question of whether the people with the money are willing to give our leader, Mitch Hurwitz, what he deserves for his participation. And I can speak for the cast when I say our fingers are crossed."

E! also reports that Bateman's fellow Development star, Jeffrey Tambor, was recently asked about his willingness to participate in a feature film adaptation; although you'll need to click on the link below to hear his full-length response, we can tell you it was enthusiastically affirmative.

According to the E! report, Hurwitz doesn't have a script written for the movie, but does have "a good, solid understanding of what he'd like to do for the movie, and Universal is very much interested."

Source: E! Online