Fox hopes to have the long-awaited film in theaters in July 2007. David Silverman (Monsters, Inc) is onboard to direct. Silverman is a Simpsons veteran, having directed lots of episodes of the animated series, including "Goo Goo Gai Pan," "Treehouse of Horror XV" and "Homie the Clown."
The Simpsons film has been in the works for years, with secret cast readings and lots of script drafts. Writers in on the project include series creator Matt Groening, Mike Scully, Al Jean, and David Mirkin.
According to Groening, the movie wasn't supposed to get underway until after the TV series had run its course. High ratings and Fox's decision to renew the series for two more seasons made the studio and the team behind The Simpsons alter those plans.
In an interview with Variety about the upcoming film, executive producer James L Brooks explained, "The movie has been so daunting, and the contract between us has always been to wait until we all felt the script was right. We tell a feature-length movie story with each episode, but we feel we now have a story and script worthy of a movie."
All of the regulars from the series will be involved in the feature film. Fans can also expect big name stars to lend their voices to the animated movie.
