Over 15 years after the original hit the big screen, co-showrunner Al Jean shares an update on the status of The Simpsons Movie 2. As fans gear up for season 34 to hit the small screen, the animated comedy series continues to thrive with an ever-expanding universe. Originally airing in 1989, The Simpsons spans a staggering 731 episodes with over 34 Emmy Awards and an Academy Award nomination to its name. Originally joining during season 13, Jean has been with the series for over 20 years. Its success led to the feature-length film, The Simpsons Movie, debuting in 2007, which instantly became a box office hit and received rave reviews from critics.
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A cultural icon, The Simpsons have remained relevant throughout history with pop-cultural references, collaborations with such musicians as Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny, as well as countless other celebrity cameos. Season 34 promises to bring in surprises from Melissa McCarthy and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings breakout Simu Liu as well. In addition, The Simpsons recently collaborated with Disney+ to produce a lineup of short films, clearly showing no signs of slowing down. However, as fans theorize when a The Simpsons Movie sequel may be on its way, Jean reveals whether the sequel is even in development to begin with.
Ahead of season 34's premiere, Jean sat down to discuss the status of The Simpsons Movie 2 with Yahoo Movies UK. Jean reveals that, unfortunately, a sequel is no longer in the works, although one was originally planned before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Now on the back burner, a Simpsons Movie sequel seems unlikely. Read Jean's full update below:
“I’d love to work on another Simpsons movie, and we’ve talked about it…I don’t know exactly what the animation feature world is at the moment, I know there are some movies that have done well, but is it streaming, is it theatrical? So I think that’s actually a question we would have to wrestle with before we even started working on a script, is what do we want to do, and right now, I’m really happy to work on these shorts.”
It's important Jean recognizes that since The Simpsons Movie debuted in 2007, Hollywood has drastically changed how they release content, shifting towards utilizing streaming platforms to release prequels, sequels, and reboots. And, if this year's animated movies are any indication of The Simpsons Movie 2's potential future, it seems it may struggle to reach its predecessors' triumph at the box office. This summer's animated blockbusters struggled for success, with Disney's Lightyear barely earning a profit against its budget of $200 million and DC League of Super-Pets also pulling in underwhelming numbers during its opening weekend.
As The Simpsons is targeted toward a more mature audience, it's exciting to note that a feature-length animated film made for adults has rarely been released in theaters throughout history. Considering the success it saw when it premiered in 2007, it's hard to imagine a possible sequel flopping at the box office, but with the changing times, it would make sense for Jean to consider a streaming release. On the other hand, Minions: The Rise of Gru smashed the competition and broke records at the box office, making history as the 4th of July weekend's highest-grossing opening yet. With no script for The Simpsons Movie 2 written yet, only time will tell whether audiences can help launch the film to box office success again.