Ever since The Simpsons made their first jump to the big screen there has been talk of a potential sequel, now it looks like the follow-up is actually happening. While the future of 20th Century Fox isn't entirely clear, as the merger with Disney gets underway, the film studio has decided to make a move to partner with its own television arm when it comes to producing animated films, and one of the projects in development is a second Simpsons Movie.
The original The Simpsons Movie came out in 2007 back when The Simpsons animated series was still short of its 20-year anniversary. Now, on the verge of the show's 30th birthday, it seems that we might get a second movie. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a sequel is "in development" as part of a collection of Fox animated motion pictures that would include big screen outings for both Bob's Burgers and Family Guy as well.
The decision to get Fox TV's animated series up on the big screen comes on the heels of an animation deal with Dreamworks Animation that has expired, and now that Comcast, the company that lost the bidding war over Fox to Disney, now owns the studio, Fox needed to do something else in order to keep animated films coming. Working internally certainly makes a lot of sense.
If you're still a fervent Simpsons fan, then this is fantastic news. However, while The Simpsons is still a popular series, many would argue that it doesn't have quite the fire it once did. It certainly makes one wonder what the appetite for a Simpsons Movie sequel would be. The first one was certainly good, and there's no reason a sequel couldn't be just as good, but I'm not sure I see people running to the theater to check this one out.
Of course, with the series staring down the barrel of a 30th season, and the fact that this movie is still being described as "in development," meaning it's likely in the very early stages, there's one thingFox could probably do to make the movie a massive hit. Make it the end of The Simpsons. It doesn't necessarily need to tell some kind of wrap-up story, but if the series were to end its run, and then return one last time on the big screen. You'd probably get fans from the past 30 years showing up at the theater just to say goodbye to the show that so many have grown up with.
Of course, with Disney slowly beginning to take control, it's very likely that things with future Fox films will get a lot more confusing before they become clear. We'll keep following this one to see if The Simpsons Movie 2, ever becomes real.
