Than in the year The first and only Simpsons film in 2007 When it came to cinemas, fans of The Simpsons series were completely over the moon. After all, it took what felt like an eternity or 18 seasons until it finally happened. The film was a huge success and grossed over $535 million at the box office.
It’s hardly surprising that the cries for a sequel on the big screen are getting louder and louder. And although there have been repeated hints of alleged progress in the development of The Simpsons 2 since then, the sequel is still a long time coming. Simpsons showrunner Al Jean explained the reasons for this over four years ago.
This long waiting time could now fall on the feet of the makers around Simpsons creator Matt Groening. A blackboard gag in the series that is now almost 20 years old is to blame for this.
Bart Simpson promised that we wouldn’t have to wait 20 years for the next Simpsons movie
Let’s jump back 17 years: In September 2007, the first episode of the 19th season of The Simpsons celebrated its premiere on the US channel Fox. The ones in Germany The incredible journey in a crazy private plane The titled episode is also the first Simpsons episode to be broadcast after the release of the film.
In the intro of the episode, the series even makes direct reference to the film and its long development phase in the legendary blackboard gag. In it, Bart Simpson writes on the board: “I won’t wait 20 years to make another movie.” (German: I won’t wait 20 years to make another film.)
It is therefore clear that only three years remain to keep this promise. In principle, a release of The Simpsons 2 would still be possible within this range. According to Al Jean’s interview statements to Screen Rant in May 2024, a Release of the sequel by 2027 is rather unrealistic. In it he admitted: “It would be premature to say we have a script in development.“
So it sounds like this ambitious blackboard gag will be a boomerang for those responsible. If you look at the 17 episodes in which The Simpsons predicted the future, it almost seems ironic.
But there is still some good news behind this insight: at least Groening and Co. don’t want to make a sequel by any means necessary. The fact that they took all the time in the world to create the cinematic product is definitely a good decision in a creative sense.
All episodes and the film of The Simpsons are available to stream
All 35 seasons of The Simpsons that have been published so far, including the above-mentioned episode from season 19, can be found in the Disney+ streaming flat rate look at. There is also The Simpsons – The Movie in the repertoire.