The Simpsons Movie was released in theaters in 2007, and 17 years later, there still hasn't been a sequel. However, The Simpsons Movie 2 could finally materialize if Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2 is a hit at the box office.

Series co-showrunner Al Jean commented on the latest status of a potential sequel to The Simpsons Movie in an interview with Screen Rant. He said that there were big hopes with the Simpsons team for Inside Out 2 to help establish animated movies as big hitters at theaters in the same way that they had been prior to the pandemic era. Jean noted his hopes that a possible sequel would see a theatrical release, though he clarified that the method of such a film's release wouldn't be up to him personally.

Bart Simpson and Moe
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"I think it's a bigger issue than The Simpsons," Jean said. "On several levels, we're really hoping for Inside Out 2 to do great this summer. I want to see the animation business completely returned to what it was before the pandemic. And then, I think if that was the case, it would make sense to do The Simpsons theatrically. But I understand that it's an issue above me about, 'Where would you release it? And how would you release it?'"

"On several levels, we're really hoping for Inside Out 2 to do great this summer."

Jean continued, "And we are, with the shorts and other things, streaming on Disney+, so I love seeing animated movies in theaters. I loved The Boy and the Heron that just won the Oscar, I'll always go see the Miyazaki movies that come out. So, I really am all for animation being fully theatrical, so I hope that's where it goes. [We have not] formally [talked] about a movie, no. We're exploring different venues like this [the short] for presenting The Simpsons, but it'd be premature to say we had a movie script in development."

Split Images of f Mr. Plow Homer, Bart from Kamp Krusty and Baby Lisa
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The Simpsons TV Show Will Reach 800 Episodes

Time will tell if The Simpsons Movie 2 happens, but the TV show is not ending soon. It was previously renewed through its upcoming 36th season, so there will be at least one more to come after the current 35th season concludes on May 19. The upcoming season is expected to push the show past 800 episodes, and Jean has also recently shared his hopes that the series will reach at least 1000 total episodes before ending.

The Simpsons Movie is streaming on Disney+.

Source: Screen Rant