The Simpsons are finally heading back to the movie theaters, as its successful hit from 2007 will be getting its sequel. Now, the storylines are very much under wraps, but what we can reveal is that Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, and Yeardley Smith will be reprising their roles as the beloved Simpson family.
Then you have Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, and, God willing, Joe Mantegna making their Big-Screen comeback. The Simpsons loses part of its comedic identity without the townspeople, and not only would it not feel right without the people who breathe life into Moe, Mr. Burns (and his ever-so-faithful companion, Smithers), and Comic Book Guy within a split second, but it would not be right. Homer and Marge, along with their three kids, will always be the heart of the show, but it takes Springfield as a whole to run the operations smoothly.
As we all know, The Simpsons has been running since 1987 and is not expected to end anytime soon. FOX is currently running season 37 of the legendary animated comedy, and Disney had renewed it earlier this year with at least four more seasons. The conglomerate also has plans to expand the franchise, which entails creating more Disney+ exclusive content.
Here's when the new The Simpsons movie will be released
20th Century Studios revealed that the theatrical premiere date for the movie will be July 23, 2027. The date nearly marks the 10th anniversary of its predecessor, which brought in an overwhelming $536 million at the box office against a modest $75 million budget. We're expecting the same for the upcoming sequel, and while it's two years away, we have our hopes up that it will be a comedy masterpiece, filled with Homer's shenanigans and parodies that we all know and love.
The studio also dropped a teaser poster on their Instagram page. It features Homer holding up a pink-glazed sprinkled donut (his favorite snack treat) with the text, Homer's coming back for seconds."
Why the long wait, though? There are lots of contenders that go into movie production such as the writing, assembling the guest actors, the animation and special effects, as well as securing a realistic budget and communicating with studio execs throughout the project.
And don't forget that the show is still on the air and it takes a mountain of work to get one episode produced. Times that by a full season of 20-ish episodes, and you're virtually time-locked.
In The Simpsons Movie, Homer nearly destroys the town with, well, let's just say animal waste from Spider Pig that intoxicated the water supply, and the EPA got after him and his family. As a consequence, the agency placed a glass dome over Springfield, causing the citizens to refrain from exiting or entering.
Well, as it was Homer's problem, he was the one who had to solve it, and solved it he did.
Until we feast our eyes on The Simpsons' Big Screen comeback, we'll be watching season 37 and all past seasons on Disney+.
The Simpsons airs Sundays on FOX at 8/7c.