A sequel to “The Simpsons Movie” has officially been greenlit, with a release date already set for July 23, 2027. More details are expected to surface in the coming minutes.
UPDATE: The sequel’s release date lines up with the 20th anniversary of the original film.
So why did 20th Century give the go-ahead to James L. Brooks’ “Ella McCay”? Brooks hasn’t been a box-office draw in years — his last film, 2010’s “How Do You Know,” was a flop — and while Emma Mackey leads this new project, she isn’t exactly a household name.
A few years ago, industry chatter (via TheInSneider) suggests 20th Century may have had another motive: in exchange for moving forward on “Ella McCay,” the studio wanted Brooks to commit to developing a sequel to 2007’s “The Simpsons Movie.” Reportedly, Brooks would work alongside creator Matt Groening and the show’s veteran writers to get the long-awaited project off the ground. In other words, a classic case of “we’ll scratch your back if you scratch ours.”
Back in 2007, “The Simpsons Movie” was a massive success, grossing $536M worldwide and earning strong reviews. Brooks and Groening resisted sequel talk for years, but this new announcement means it’s finally happening.
As for the legacy, “The Simpsons” was once the defining example of postmodern entertainment: a pop-culture pastiche, a sharp satire of the American family, and one of the most brilliant comedies of the ’90s. While the series has long outstayed its welcome — its 37th season just premiered on Fox — the run from seasons 1 through 8 remains untouchable, widely considered the “classic era.”
The drop in quality on “The Simpsons” after its first 7–8 seasons is largely tied to the departure of its original writers and showrunners. The early years balanced sharp satire, emotional depth, and clever storytelling, but later seasons, with the new writers, leaned more on gags, celebrity cameos, and exaggerated characters.
“The Simpsons Movie” succeeded largely because it reunited many of the writers from that golden age. If the sequel follows the same path, there’s every reason to think lightning could strike twice.
Criterion's December lineup has some great additions to the library, but the title that jumped out at me is Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," which officially joins the Collection on December 8.