Simpsons Movie Sequel News

The huge success of The Simpsons Movie (2007) raised two obvious questions: will there be a sequel and, if so, when? As it was already hinted over the end credits of the first movie and in a chalkboard gag, it is safe to say that yes, there will be a sequel. The cast has a contract that covers two more films (if such are made) and it should not become a problem to get experienced Simpsons writers and animators to get excited about making a second movie either.

However, the question that remains is "when?". As the production of the show continues to its 20th season, the problems that arise from using much of the same talent pool for the TV show and a movie simultaneously are still present. Nobody wants the show to suffer from the movie production, which means there has to be plenty of time for the movie to stay in development and production.

Another major issue is, of course, the script. Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al Jean and others want a strong story before proceeding any further. Pitching the story was a difficult task the first time, and it is not likely to be any easier this time around.

In other words, do not expect the second Simpsons movie to premiere any time soon. It will take several years.

This document lists quotes (including article excerpts) from various staff and cast members regarding the Simpsons movie sequel. The quotes are in a reversed chronological order.

Additions are welcomed. Please include the direct quote, the source and the date and send it to me. If the article is online somewhere, also include the URL. Thanks!

"It took us four years [to make] and it killed us," Groening said Saturday at UCLA's annual entertainment symposium, where he sat for a keynote Q&A with longtime Simpsons producer-director David Silverman. The movie "stole animators from the show," Groening said, and drained other resources. "Maybe another 10, 15 years" Silverman added.

"Well, I can say that there is no, you know, Simpsons movie, currently being worked out. We'd love to do another short or another feature, but the show is so time-consuming that, you know, I guarantee that there will not be another movie in the next couple of years."

"I've always been of the view that if we ever did a second movie, which would be exciting, it would be whenever the run of the show ended. So I guess the news is a Simpsons movie has been pushed back another two years at least."

"We're open to it," he told us, adding the disclaimer, "It was much harder than we anticipated. It took us a year to try and get to the point because we're all so scared of 'What are we going to do to the Simpsons' and 'What if the movie is no good?' We were all so scared about that and I thought it took us a solid year of looking at each other to get to the point where we can get to the point where we don't give a sh*t."

He continued with the exciting news that they do have an idea for a second movie, "It was a huge success and we're very open to it and we have a beginning notion if we want to do it, but the series always comes first with us. The series is always primary to us."

Speaking at a TV industry event in Cannes, Matt Groening said: "I suppose someday there might be a sequel, but not yet."

"It took 18 years to get around to doing the movie, we got very frustrated, we thought it would take two years but it ended up taking four – some day maybe we'll do another one, but don't hold your breath," he told Morgan Spurlock during a trade talk in Cannes, where they celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons.

Jean says there will be a movie sequel, but there are no plans yet and it probably wouldn't happen until the TV show ends production.

On another Simpsons movie:
- Will there be a followup? Perhaps if there was a good script, but first one took four years. Al's preference would be after the series itself was all done (and there’s no timeline for that).

"It was so much work for all of us in that it was something that really was a labor of love in a lot of ways. We would like to do a sequel but not unless we had a script that we believed in as much as that one. That one took fifteen years. It was a labor of love but it was also a labor of work, and that was fine."

"It will happen at some point, but I have no idea when. The first one took us four years – mainly because we don't like to work any harder than we usually do. It's going to be awhile. We'll get to it, I'm sure."

He added that there are "no plans at the moment".

"I think a fun format for the next 'Simpsons' movie would be a Treehouse of Horror feature. That might be fun. It'd be fun to do three fantasy or horror stories."

"I would love to do more in the second than I got to do in the first one. Whenever my characters get fleshed out, it's more fun for me."

"At the moment we have a little situation, a little labor dispute [WGA strike -ed.]," series director David Silverman shrugged recently when we asked him. "It has put things on hold."

"I’m there for the writers too. When that’s resolved we'll see some movement in that direction," Silverman promised with a smile. "It's kind of hard to make predictions about the future."

Talks on the sequel should begin whenever everyone on both sides of the picket line is satisfied, but since it is a cartoon and all the "Simpsons" talents will still be working on that pesky little TV show, we're talking several years before a green light gives us an actual movie to watch. Until then, Silverman can only offer the words of the big man himself.

"As Homer would put it, 'I don’t know,'" Silverman jeered.

"We would only do a sequel if we believed it was a movie that had to be made, just like we did with the first one. We wouldn't want to do it just because the first one was successful, or because we wanted to make money off of a movie. We'd only do it if we had a script that we thought was great (and) there's no script at this point."