Everything we know about The Simpsons Movie 2 as release date is announced

Iconic American family The Simpsons are set to return for another feature-length film, it's been confirmed.

Homer and co previously took to the big screen some 18 years ago to save the town of Springfield from being trapped inside an enormous dome after Homer polluted the town's water supply with a silo of 'pig cr*p'.

Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie first appeared on the small screen in 1989, and have not aged at all in the 36 years and 37 seasons since, with the show created by Matt Groening renewed up to season 40.

The show has become one of the most well-known animations of all time, often taking aim at the contradictions and hypocrisies of everyday life in the US as the well-meaning but hopelessly incompetent Homer chaotically stumbles through life.

Here's what we know so far about the upcoming sequel to the first film.

When was The Simpsons Movie 2 confirmed?

Simpsons creator Matt Groening (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Fans of The Simpsons were met with a poster featuring a donut with the sprinkles being the number 2, and the tagline: "Homer’s coming back for seconds.”

Disney has since confirmed that the poster is in fact the real deal.

The idea of a sequel to the first movie has been floating around since the end credits of the first movie, which saw the normally mute Maggie say: "Sequel?"

Simpsons writer and executive producer Al Jean previously said that talks about a potential sequel had been stalled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

When is The Simpsons Movie 2 released?

The release poster for the upcoming movie (Instagram/20thcenturystudios)

Despite setbacks due to Covid-19, the sequel is now confirmed and a released date has been put out.

The provisional release date for the sequel has been set for 23 July 2027.

This is some 20 years after The Simpsons first outing in the cinema.

What is the plot of The Simpsons Movie 2?

Harry Shearer, who voices numerous characters, at the premier of the first movie in 2007 (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The first movie saw the family facing one of their biggest challenges yet as Homer, and his pet 'spider-pig', inadvertently contaminated the water supply in Springfield.

This led to the Environmental Protection Agency to encase Springfield in a large dome to contain the pollution, while the Simpsons had to return and save the town.

As for the sequel, no details have been officially confirmed at this point, but the tagline that 'Homer's back for seconds' might suggest the plot will be somehow connected.

On the other hand, The Simpsons is known for its jabs at and parodying of current affairs and popular culture, albeit not quite so explicitly as South Park.

Unfortunately the 18 years since 2007 have been very dull and uneventful, with absolutely no global financial crashes, wars, climate crises, unusual presidential elections, global pandemics, or information and technology revolutions for the writing team to draw on.