Script Apart with Al Horner6 Loka 2020

The Simpsons Movie with Al Jean

This week’s guest is Al Jean, long-time showrunner of The Simpsons and co-writer of 2007’s The Simpsons Movie. Homer, Lisa, Bart, Marge and Maggie’s big-screen debut was a long time in the making. By 2007, The Simpsons had been a global sensation for approaching 20 years. The show, about the escapades of an endearingly dysfunctional family, set in the fictional town of Springfield, had struck a cultural chord unlike any other. Its success, and the show’s constant references to cult classic movies, made the prospect of a Simpsons film seem a no-brainer.

Al and the Simpsons writing staff, however, were determined to wait for a Simpsons story that felt truly cinematic before bringing it to the big screen. In 2007 they found one. The Simpsons Movie took America’s favourite family on an adventure involving environmental catastrophe, epiphanies in the Alaskan wilderness and a giant glass dome being placed over Springfield. The film was as expected, a giant smash.

As season 31 of the show gets underway on TV, we caught up with Al to hear how creating the Simpsons Movie almost broke him, why he and the film’s writing team opted for a new villain instead of Hank Scorpio – and whether or not its environmental message foreshadowed our current climate crisis.

Script Apart is a podcast about the first-draft secrets behind great movies. Each episode, the screenwriter behind a beloved film shares with us their initial screenplay for that movie. We then talk through what changed, what didn’t and why on its journey to the big screen.

Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek, with music from Stefan Bindley-Taylor. You can follow Script Apart on Twitter and Instagram. You can also email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.

Support the show

Our Sponsors: * Check out Vinted: https://www.vinted.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(185)

Unpacking ‘Primetime’ With Ajon Singh

Why don't you take a seat, Script Apart listeners? 'Primetime' screenwriter Ajon Singh is my guest this week, breaking down in spoiler detail his script for the Robert Pattinson-starring thriller that...

30 Loka 50min

A Friend Request From Aaron Sorkin ('The Social Reckoning')

There's plenty to reckon with in The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin's sequel-of-sorts to The Social Network – one of the most lauded films of the century so far. That David Fincher-directed tale expla...

22 Loka 51min

What 'Whalefall' Means To Daniel Kraus and Brian Duffield

Live from the belly of the beast – aka a London hotel room before the European premiere of their new movie – Brian Duffield (Spontaneous, No One Will Save You) and Daniel Kraus (the Pulitzer Prize-win...

21 Loka 1h 5min

'Coyote Vs Acme' Vs The World

That's all, folks? Not by a long shot. Coyote Vs Acme – the Who Framed Roger Rabbit-esque courtroom comedy written by my guest today. Samy Burch – was famously cancelled by Warner Bros in late 2023 bu...

8 Loka 1h 21min

'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Was Almost A Courtroom Comedy

The world has forgotten New York's famous web-slinger in the latest blockbuster outing in the MCU. The irony is, in real life, Peter Parker is a character that pop culture could never forget or cast a...

19 Syys 56min

How The Writers Of 'Tony' Found A New Recipe For Biopics

Time to delve into screenwriting parts unknown with the writers of one of 2026's most moving coming-of-age dramas. Todd Bartels and Lou Howe are my guests today, discussing in spoiler-filled detail ho...

11 Syys 59min

Where We've Been...

Five weeks in hospital. Five months of being away from your podcast feeds. Yes, listeners, it's been a weird time. But Script Apart is finally coming back in the coming days! Before new episodes start...

8 Syys 4min

Project Hail Mary with Drew Goddard, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Ground control to Script Apart listeners – today on the show, we’re blasting off into the cosmos with three formidable sci-fi storytelling talents. Phil Lord and Chris Miller are the writer-director-p...

26 Maalis 1h 36min