Comments from the Annecy International Animation Film Festival sawThe Simpsonsco-creator Matt Groening explain why the long-awaitedThe Simpsons Movie 2continues 18 years after the historic success ofThe Simpsons Movie.The Simpsonsis the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show in history, and with 790 episodes in its back catalog, it is fair to say the series isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Despite this, 2007’sThe Simpsons Movieremains the show’s lone theatrical outing.
Speaking at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, co-creator Matt Groening explained toScreenDailywhy the sequel is taking so long. Asked aboutThe Simpsons Movie 2, Groening said:
“The first movie killed us. We don’t have a ‘B team’; we did the movie and continued doing the series at the same time… We even had a countdown clock on the wall—we called itThe Simpsonsdeath clock—counting down the months, weeks, days, and seconds til we had to have the movie finished. And it made us break down.”
Producing The Simpsons Has Held Up The Simpsons Movie 2’s Progress
The Show’s Creators Struggled To Work On The Show And A Movie Simultaneously
Given this context,it makes sense thatThe Simpsons Movie 2still hasn’t arrived 18 years after the original movie was released.The Simpsons Moviewas met with critical acclaim despite some fan backlash, but the movie’s biggest success came in the form of its box office receipts. With a budget of $75 million,The Simpsons Movietook home a staggering $536 million upon release.
Producing new episodes of The Simpsons occupies the time of the show’s creators, and simultaneously working on a movie script is a huge extra demand for the creative team.
Despite how successful the movie was, it’s not surprising thatthe most influential network sitcomof all time still hasn’t produced a follow-up. Producing new episodes ofThe Simpsonsoccupies the time of the show’s creators, and simultaneously working on a movie script is a huge extra demand for the creative team. As such, it is arguably better that the long wait forThe Simpsons Movie continues, considering the alternative option is a disappointing follow-up.
Our Take on The Simpsons Movie 2’s Long Wait
The Simpsons Movie Shouldn’t Receive A Sequel Until Its Crew Is Ready
What madeThe Simpsons Movieso successful was its ability to faithfully recreate the appeal of the original series on a bigger scale. The work of iconic writers like Mike Reiss, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti, and George Meyer meant the movie had the same tone as the show’s Golden Age episodes but a much bigger, more ambitious storyline that suited its transition to the big screen. WhileThe Simpsonsseason 36 has many inspiring moments, the last thing viewers should want is for the show’s creative team to be stretched beyond their capacity.
Any sequel toThe Simpsons Movieshould only come about when the creators are ready and invested in a story that is worth telling, and Groening’s comments make it clear that this might not happen for a while. In the meantime, there is no shortage of classic episodes for fans to revisit, meaningThe Simpsons Movie 2’s sequel toThe Simpsons Moviedoes not need to be a high priority for anyone who enjoysThe Simpsonsin 2025.
