This is very cool... if it happens!


"The Simpsons" Movie...Finally?
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By Joal Ryan

In 1993, Matt Groening, in a caveman-era Internet chat, was asked if there'd ever be a Simpsons movie. He didn't say yes, he didn't say no. He said a film "is way down the line."





He wasn't kidding.


More than 10 years since that Net moment, and more than 15 years since Groening's animated clan made their TV debut, The Simpsons is finally getting ready for its closeup.


Maybe.


Fox's feature-film animation division is "in the very early stages of developing an idea for the movie," exec Chris Meledandri said in Wednesday's Daily Variety.


Per the trade paper, "at least seven" veteran Simpsons writers, including Groening and executive producers James L. Brooks and Al Jean, are at work on a script.


Buzz about the long, long, long-talked-about Simpsons movie buzzed anew Tuesday when DVDFanatic.com posted an interview with producer Mike Reiss, another scribe apparently on the 'toon's big-screen development team.


Reiss told the Website he could see Homer, et al., debuting in theaters in summer or Christmas 2006.


"It's a reality after being just sort of this phantom idea," Reiss said on DVDFantatic.com. "I think it is really gonna happen."


Reiss essentially has been saying the same thing at college campuses the nation over for at least a year. The Simpsons fan site The Simpsons Archive [http://www.snpp.com/news/movie.html] has a comprehensive rundown of all the times cast and crew, Reiss included, have blabbed about a big-screener.


Something about Reiss' latest statement must have hit home. Fox, on behalf of Brooks, was prompted to release a statement to Variety, confirming the very poorly kept secret yet cautioning against reserving your tickets today.


"This is our idea of how to whip up enthusiasm for an idea that hasn't been formed yet," Brooks said in the statement.


To be sure, Reiss didn't have any specifics to offer, promising only that The Simpsons movie would bigger, longer and uncut. Any resemblance to 1999's South Park movie is purely intentional.


Last year, Groening told the Hollywood Reporter that South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was the only movie based on a TV show that wasn't "horrible."


Picking up on the theme, Reiss, in a talk last year at Drexel University, said that "there was a Scooby-Doo movie so there will be a Simpsons movie," per the campus paper The Triangle.


And like Scooby-Doo, Reiss joked, The Simpsons movie is "gonna suck pretty hard."


According to Reiss, Fox has wanted to do a Simpsons movie since President Bush (news - web sites)'s father was President Bush.


"Finally Fox said, 'Let's just do it!,'" Reiss told DVDFanatic.com. "We never had the greatest idea that was compelling, but Fox said, 'Maybe if we start paying you, you'll get inspired.' And sure enough it worked!"

Now 15 TV seasons old, The Simpsons hasn't been dulled by the weekly grind, averaging 12.9 million viewers so far this season, the Fox network's most-watched scripted series.

While it may be best not to consider the movie a sure thing until it's in theaters, the prime-time 'toon is, already renewed through at least 2004-05.

The Simpsons is the best cartoon ever imo. Just simply lovely to watch and read between the lines in a cartoon of such sarcasm and funny moments. not to mention a few serious.


Beautiful Cartoon.. always be my favorite above all.

Is this going to be a live-action movie or feature length cartoon?

I dont know if this will work. The show is getting a little played out after all these years imho.

It will no doubt do okay due to the large fan base but I cant get really excited about it.

Marrk said:

Let's hope it isnt the former, as about 3 or 4 years back, that was the rumour - that it was indeed going 2 be a live-action flick.

Start praying now.

bananacologne said:

I suppose the could do it like the Grinch, with lots off prosthetics. It could work!

I want it to be a cartoon.. movie cartoon

I think it should be a 3-D cartoon movie.

I'm trying to think of what a big screen Simpsons episode could bring an audience that 15 years of the television show can't.

My only answer so far is: highly collectible 3-D glasses.

I think it should be done with sock puppets and cheese doodles...

Well, I do..!!

I disagree.

I am hoping that The Simpsons are gonna be the exception but it seems that when cartoon makers have made films of their series in the past, the rest of the episodes seem to go downhill and it usually signifies the beginning of the end of an era.

It works for some of the most profound cartoons...

"South Park" - Hilarious as it was, does any1 care anymore... seriously?

"Beavis & Butthead Do America" - This movie shouldn't have happened IMHO.

"Rugrats" - had a chance if they didn't try to Disney-fy the feature-length and kept it as an authentic nicktoon...

"Doug" - There WAS a movie of this right?

Let's just hope that if anything, at least the rep of The pending Simpsons movie sustains its longevity.

'dre

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE (whispering) "34% new footage.."

Simpsons Hit & Run was a big success.. at a time when everyone was just about sick and tired of the tireless merchandising. I guess a string of Movies is the last stop.

Oh God please let:

1. This happen

2. It not be live-action.

My favorite cartoon series' movies have all sucked except South Park. If The Simpsons is done as live action, count me out.

If its going to be really special..
Who is going to voice the legendary

Troy McClure &
Lionel Hutz

Savannah said:

No one... Matt Groening has not used those characters since Phil Hartman's murder. He even RIP'd them at the end of an episode portraying them at the time...

Byron said:

June7 said:

How was Phil Hartman murdered?? What actually went down?