There's always money in the banana stand.

Apparently not content to have "Teen Wolf Too" be his greatest film accomplishment, Jason Bateman is trying to bring together his "Arrested Development" castmates so the Bluth family can crazy-up the big screen.

Yeah, yeah ... I heard that collective yawn.

Why would there be interest in an "AD" movie when barely anyone watched the show during its three seasons on Fox? Yes, American public: I blame you for not supporting one of this decade's finest comedies! YOU! It's more "American Idol" you want! More "Don't Forget the Lyrics!" More "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" and its eventual spin-off, "Blue Collar Comedy Tour Presents: Are You Smarter than Larry the Cable Guy?" (BTW: Did anyone flip past Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Special on VH1 the other night? Tony Orlando? Vicki Lawrence? What year is this?)

For the rest of us "AD" fanatics still stewing over cancellation, we'll have to excitedly stow away these rumors like squirrels gathering nuts for the winter. While doing some promotion for his film, "Juno," also starring Michael Cera (George Michael on "AD"), Bateman told MTV, "The 'Arrested Development' movie is not dead, au contraire. (Over the weekend I had) a little phone call, just catching up, a little reaching out and touching."

That phone call was apparently to "AD" creator Mitchell Hurwitz, with Bateman saying, "This writers strike, it's a devil’s playground. The guy doesn’t have anything to do.

"[During the strike] you're allowed to write things you’re not being paid to do. I'm trying to talk [Hurwitz] into writing the 'Arrested Development' movie. And he could be coming around."

OK, this is more than rumor now. A prolonged writers' strike means more time for Hurwitz to work on fresh Cornballer and "Girls With Low Self-Esteem" jokes. And with "AD" selling well on DVD -- here's a bet more people watch it now than when it aired -- Ron Howard presumably on board, and Cera's decent bank-ability following "Superbad," there's a chance this could actually get made, and GASP, be successful.

Wow. This is so exciting, I'm almost tempted to dust off a Tony Wonder reference and see if anyone gets it (these folks definitely would). But instead, I'll show some restraint and ask, what other TV shows should pursue the movie route?

I've always thought a "Freaks and Geeks" movie set 10 years after the show's 1980-81 school year would be pretty awesome (especially with the cast, particularly John Francis Daley, realistically aging over that time.) Or maybe that's just because I picture Nick Andopolis still trying to play drums, this time with a crappy grunge band. A "Sopranos" movie has long been rumored, but I think a prequel following Johnny Boy and Junior would be better. The flashbacks with young Tony and his crazy mother always made me think there was an even richer backstory to tell. I'd also get a kick just watching young Paulie.

And finally, I think all of us would love to see the "Full House" gang get back together "Brady"-style for some type of feel-good Christmas reunion. As long as the Beach Boys showed up for some caroling around the ol' Tanner tree while Joey toasted some nog and talked about the time he killed on "Star Search," I know it would get me a little teary-eyed ...

-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com