Back in 2013, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening said that The Simpsons Movie “killed us” (it took years to make and “stole animators” from the show) and that a sequel wasn’t anyone’s current priority. Director David Silverman was a little more optimistic: he confessed that it could happen, but maybe not for “another 10, 15 years.” The timeline may have since been pushed up, though.
The Wall Street Journal reports that a sequel to 2007’s The Simpsons Movie is “in development,” along with the previously-announced Bob’s Burgers “epic [big screen] adventure” and a Family Guy feature-length film (it’s 45 minutes of plot and 45 minutes of Conway Twitty singing).
[20th Century Fox CEO Stacey Snider] Snider has emphasized a revamp of Fox’s approach to animation, bringing in a new partner to replace an expired deal with DreamWorks Animation after it was acquired by Comcast Corp. The film studio is partnering with the Fox television studio on a big-screen adaptation of the animated series Bob’s Burgers, a second Simpsons movie in development, and a Family Guy film that would mix animation with live action, said people with knowledge of the projects. (Via)
The Simpsons Movie was a huge commercial success (it made over $520 million at the box office) and if you consider the film as one very long episode, it would rank among the funniest episodes in the post-Golden Age period. (“Tousle my hair, Mr. Hanks” is a surprisingly useful quote.) So, The Simpsons team would only make a sequel if it was a “really great movie,” producer Al Jean said, and not “anything that we did purely for the money.” Considering the show has been on for 29-going-on-30 seasons, with many more to come, I don’t think they have to worry about the all ighty ollar.
(Via The Wall Street Journal)
