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Matt Groening has 'no doubt' that a 'Simpsons Movie' sequel will happen

'The Simpsons Movie' made more than half a billion dollars at the box office in 2007. (Credit: Fox)
'The Simpsons Movie' made more than half a billion dollars at the box office in 2007. (Credit: Fox)

Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, has said he has “no doubt” that there will be a sequel to 2007’s The Simpsons Movie now that the rights to the characters have been acquired by Disney.

The 65-year-old cartoonist told fans at San Diego Comic-Con that the Disney deal has opened the door for a sequel to the $500m (£401m) box office hit.

Talk of a sequel has been swirling ever since the first movie became a success, but the film was notoriously difficult for the show’s team to manage in terms of time and resources.

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Now that Disney has scooped the rights to The Simpsons as part of its $71.3bn (£54.3bn) acquisition of 20th Century Fox, though, Groening thinks the film will move forward sooner rather than later.

He said: “No doubt there will be another Simpsons movie one of these days. I think Disney wants something for its money.”

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 20: Matt Groening speaks at "The Simpsons" Panel during 2019 Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center on July 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 20: Matt Groening speaks at "The Simpsons" Panel during 2019 Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center on July 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Groening admitted during the Comic-Con panel that the making of the first movie was disastrous for the team behind the show, despite its success.

“The first Simpsons movie almost killed us,” he said.

“We didn’t have a B-team waiting to do The Simpsons Movie, so the same people who wrote, animated, voiced and did the music for the Simpsons TV show also did the movie.

“That was in 2007. We’re almost recovered, almost.”

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Disney is clearly aware of the value of The Simpsons as part of the Fox portfolio and has announced that the first 30 seasons of the show will be part of the launch package for its Disney+ streaming service.

Despite concerns about declining quality among fans for years, The Simpsons is still going strong and stands as the longest running American primetime TV series.

The 31st season will premiere in September 2019.