A sequel to 2007’s The Simpsons Movie and another Family Guy film are being planned, according to a new report. Ben Fritz of the Wall Street Journal cites sources as saying that in addition to those films, Fox is planning a Bob’s Burgers movie.
It’s not immediately clear how far along in production these films may be, but it’s safe to say none of them are coming soon. Intriguingly, Fritz reported that the Family Guy film would combine live-action with animation, just like the Sonic the Hedgehog movie will.
Read all the way to the bottom of my story on the weirdness these days at Fox’s movie studio these days and here’s some fun stuff you may not have known https://t.co/IPSUiQmWuY pic.twitter.com/hq470eD1Hv
— Ben Fritz (@benfritz) August 10, 2018
A sequel to The Simpsons Movie is no surprise, as the first movie was generally well-received, made a lot of money, and ended with Maggie saying during the end credits, “Sequel?” Last year, The Simpsons Movie director David Silverman said there were discussions happening about a sequel but nothing had been locked in yet. Producer Al Jean told Variety that a sequel to The Simpsons Movie probably won’t happen until The Simpsons TV show goes off the air.
“The movie was such a time-intensive operation, it pulled a lot away from the show. I would rather end the show whenever that happens before doing another movie,” he said. “It’s unlikely there’ll be another Simpsons feature while the show is being produced.”
Making the first Simpsons movie while producing the TV show at the same time “knocked the stuffing out” of the production team, Silverman said. Given that there is no end in sight for The Simpsons as a TV show, the next movie probably won’t be out anytime soon.
As for the Family Guy movie, creator Seth McFarlane said back in 2015 that fans could expect news about the film “soon,” but that never happened. The first Family Guy movie, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, saw a straight-to-DVD release in 2005. It was later split into three episodes that aired on TV the following year.
And regarding the Bob’s Burgers movie, Fox actually announced this film back in 2017. At the time, the company said the movie will be released in July 2020. “We’re thrilled to be invited to bring Bob’s Burgers to the big screen,” creator Loren Bouchard said, according to Deadline. “We know the movie has to scratch every itch the fans of the show have ever had, but it also has to work for all the good people who’ve never seen the show. We also know it has to fill every inch of the screen with the colors and the sounds and the ever so slightly greasy texture of the world of Bob’s–but most of all it has to take our characters on an epic adventure. In other words, it has to be the best movie ever made. But no pressure, right?!”
Fox is in the midst of having most of its assets acquired by Disney as part of a blockbuster buyout from the House of Mouse. For lots more, check out the full WSJ story here.