There's exxx-cellent news for fans of "The Simpsons": Homer and the gang may finally be coming to the big screen.
After years of rumors and wishful thinking, "Simpsons" gurus Matt Groening and James L. Brooks are leading a team of writers in actively developing an animated bigscreen feature based on the long-running Fox hit. Active work on a concept for the pic began a few months ago, after 20th Century Fox's film division hammered out deals with key writers.
When first approached about the pic late last year, reps for Groening, Brooks and "The Simpsons" insisted there was nothing worth talking about. After one of the scribes involved in the pic spilled the beans to a DVD Web site, Brooks broke his silence Tuesday -- sort of.
"This is our idea of how to whip up enthusiasm for an idea that hasn't been formed yet," Brooks said in a statement issued by 20th.
Chris Meledandri, studio's animation chief, said the studio was "very excited about the possibility of making a 'Simpsons' movie."
"However, we are in the very early stages of developing an idea for the movie," he added.
At least seven past and present writers of "The Simpsons" are said to be involved. A studio spokesman didn't return a call seeking comment, but industry insiders believe Al Jean, Mike Scully, Mike Reiss, David Mirkin and George Meyer are all on board, in addition to Brooks and Groening.
Reiss is certainly involved: He's the scribe who talked about the project.
"They've wanted to do this since season two. It's been 13 years of wanting to do 'The Simpsons' movie," he said in an interview with DVDFantatic.com. "Finally Fox said, 'Let's just do it!' 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!"
While Brooks said there's no final decision on an idea, Reiss said there is concept that seems to be hot.
"We've got a very good and interesting idea, and it's different from the show," he said. "You know, it's like the 'South Park' movie where it's just a bigger, longer, amplified version of the show. I can't tell you anything specific about it. My wife doesn't even know the secret."
Talk of a potential movie project has swirled for more than a decade. But as with everything "Simpsons" related, Groening and company keep a very strict quality control on the franchise. In other words, their philosophy has always been, "There will be no movie before its time."
Groening takes a similar approach to the DVD release of "Simpsons" episodes, which is why the show, which debuted in late 1989, has seen only three seasons released via homevideo, while other shows that debuted a decade later have already churned out more seasons on DVD.
A "Simpsons" movie would rep the first extension of the brand via traditional media (not including comic books, CD-ROM or other video games) in some time. Groening and company developed a live-action "Krusty the Clown" spinoff, starring Dan Castellanetta, in the early 1990s, but the project never made it to air.
There's no timetable yet as to a release date on the project, though with Groening's quality control and animation lead time, it's likely at least two years off. (As reported by Variety)
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