Just how many Simpsons stories do you think the creative team have left? The animation series has been on the air since 1989, spanning a massive 26 seasons. And in 2007, the talent took on an Under the Dome-type spoof story for the feature-length The Simpsons Movie. But will they do it again?
James L. Brooks, executive producer on the Simpsons saga, admits in an interview with THR that he has been asked by 20th Century Fox to come up with an idea for a Simpsons sequel. But before you get your hopes up, Brooks sprinkles cold water on the possible project, saying:
We have been asked to [develop it], but we haven’t. We’re doing a lot of other stuff."
That "other" stuff likely refers to the ongoing television series. It also could refer to live events like the Hollywood Bowl Simpsons show that recently was held in Los Angeles. This dedicated fan taped a huge portion of the live program. Check it out below:
James L. Brooks and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening received co-writing credit on The Simpsons Movie alongside roughly 15 other scribes. It takes a small army to make an animated movie, and that small army usually needs years to bring the feature from idea to screen. During the run up to the release of The Simpsons Movie, almost everyone involved spoke candidly about the pressure felt to make the feature a hit – so as not to damage the reputation of the show. Even now, when Brooks talks about possibly dipping his toe back into the water to come up with a possible sequel, that pressure seems to still linger. He tells THR:
We felt we were risking everything. What if the movie stank? It took us two years just to get loose, just to breathe a little, like we do on the show. It was a murderous two years until we got there. It took us two years to try and act like we didn’t give a shit, which the show needs a little bit. The movie needed that quality."
And a sequel would need even more quality. It makes sense that Fox would want a sequel to The Simpsons Movie. The initial foray earned $183 million domestically, and a whopping $527 million worldwide. A sequel could build on that momentum. And while Fox wants it, it sounds like Brooks and the team aren’t ready to dive back in to that all-encompassing process. Yet.
