Matt Groening has three animated universes behind him, and he may still have the most ambitious crossover ahead. The creator has opened the door to the possibility of bringing together “The Simpsons,” “Futurama,” and “Disenchantment” in a single crossover, although no project has been announced yet.
The possibility emerged during an interview with TV Insider, in connection with the recent gathering of Futurama and Disenchantment. When asked directly whether another crossover with The Simpsons could occur, or even one that would bring the three fictions together, Groening answered that it was possible, although he noted that these kinds of episodes are hard to pull off.
The response is far from a confirmation, but comes at an especially opportune moment. The 14th season of ‘Futurama’, whose premiere was part of Disney+’s major August announcements, has just shown that Groening is willing to mix his creations again.
The episode ‘A Neon New Yorker in the Court of the Elf King’, which premiered on September 21, takes Fry to Dreamland and brings back Disenchantment characters such as Bean, Elf, and Luci three years after the Netflix series ended. What for years had been reduced to nods and references is thus turned into a full crossover.
Groening Has Crossed His Universes Before
A meeting between The Simpsons and Futurama wouldn’t be new either. In 2014, the 26th season of the Simpson family introduced Simpsorama, an episode in which Bender, Fry, Leela and the rest of Planet Express traveled to The Simpsons’ present.
Therefore, Groening has already completed two of the possible combinations: “The Simpsons” with “Futurama” and “Futurama” with “Disenchantment”. The missing step would be to bring the three worlds together in a single story.
Moreover, Springfield still has more to offer. The series is renewed at least through its 40th season, while Futurama, despite having wrapped its last regular season, still has new specials planned. That keeps several doors open to experiment with the idea.
The Obstacle Also Lies Between Disney and Netflix
The main problem isn’t merely finding a narrative excuse for Homer Simpson to share the screen with Bender and Princess Bean. There are also two major companies involved.
‘The Simpsons’ and ‘Futurama’ are currently under Disney’s umbrella, while ‘Disenchantment’ began as a Netflix production. Groening himself explained to Variety that getting Disney and Netflix to collaborate for the latest crossover required particularly delicate negotiations.
That makes a hypothetical triple meeting more complex than a simple creative decision. The showrunners would need to craft a story that justifies the crossover and, at the same time, ensure the involved companies reach an agreement again.
For now, there is no triple crossover confirmed or announced. What does exist is an open door opened by Matt Groening himself and a recent precedent that demonstrates that even separating Futurama and Disenchantment across two different platforms has not prevented their reunion.
After more than three decades expanding Springfield and more than 25 years traveling through the XXXI century, the combination Groening still lacks becomes fairly obvious.
