As one of the show’s many prescient gags predicted many moons ago… They’ll never stop the Simpsons. The cross-generational cartoon clan have endured on our screens for well over 30 years now, even managing to keep going through Disney’s merger with Fox. In fact, the Mouse House has only increased the amount of Simpsons content we’re getting, with various Disney Plus shorts arriving over the past year.
But could Homer and company ever return to the big screen for a sequel to The Simpsons Movie? That’s the question that the cast and crew have been asked, well, basically since the first film came out in 2007, but it’s a topic that’s become even more popular in the wake of the Disney takeover. According to veteran voice actor Yeardley Smith, who plays eight-year-old genius Lisa, a Simpsons Movie 2 will inevitably happen someday — even if it is a seriously huge undertaking.
While speaking to The Movie Dweeb, Smith offered her gut feelings on the notion of a follow-up flick:
“I do think that there will be another [Simpsons] movie, so there’s your clickbait. I have no idea when. I will say one of the issues is — it’s such a labor-intensive show behind-the-scenes… that to siphon off any group of actors to basically engage in another full-time job [and] to write and animate a full-length film, is untenable at the moment. But that doesn’t — that’s just today. I do really believe that there will be a [Simpsons Movie 2].”
Smith’s comments echo what’s been said before by many involved with the series. With 20+ episodes pumped out each and every year, and with a movie having to come from the same creators in order to capture the same tone and spirit, a sequel would be a tremendous amount of extra work for the Simpsons team. With The Simpsons Movie being so beloved and such a box office hit, that’s no doubt the only reason a sequel hasn’t happened to date.
But Smith may be onto something with her belief that another is coming. Creator Matt Groening has previously revealed that he has “no doubt” Disney will order a second movie one of these days. Meanwhile, EP Matt Selman has teased that, if a sequel doesn’t happen, then some “crazy limited series” spinoff or two may materialize instead.
Now in its 33rd season, with at least one more greenlit, The Simpsons airs new episodes Sundays on Fox.