The Simpsons with a twist! This “brilliant” post-apocalyptic adaptation is becoming a movie

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Rapper and filmmaker Boots Riley is working on a movie adaptation of the play Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play. He confirmed the project is happening in response to a fan’s question, but hasn’t shared any details yet. No cast members or release date have been announced.

Inspired by a 2012 play by Anne Washburn, this comedy—which draws heavily from The Simpsons and was praised as “brilliant” by The Guardian—includes music by Michael Friedman.

Commissioned originally by The Civilians, the play Mr. Burns centers on a group of people trying to piece together the story of a Simpsons episode – ‘Cape Feare’ – after a disaster. They share their fragmented memories around a campfire.

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This Simpsons episode, originally airing in the show’s fifth season, is a parody of the movies Cape Fear (both the 1962 original and the 1993 remake). The story centers around Sideshow Bob (voiced by Kelsey Grammar) trying to kill Bart Simpson.

Speaking about the original play, Washburn revealed how she came up with the idea for the plot.

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It wasn’t a carefully planned decision, she said. She just knew the show needed to be funny – people would need a good laugh after everything that had happened – and it should be something familiar and widely enjoyed. She briefly thought about other popular sitcoms like Friends, Seinfeld, and Cheers, which were all being rerun on television at the time, as reported by Breaking Character.

I’ve been thinking about which show has had the biggest impact or lasted the longest, and I’m leaning towards The Simpsons. What really struck me is that, unlike many other options, it centers on family and community. That feels especially important when considering a post-apocalyptic world, where so many people might have lost those connections.

Washburn explained how the ‘Cape Feare’ episode was chosen for inclusion. She didn’t select it herself; instead, she ran a workshop with actors, asking them to recall Simpsons episodes. Her goal was to capture the way people naturally remember things, and she planned to start with whichever episode the actors remembered most vividly.

That Simpsons episode really captures the core of this situation – it’s a surprisingly dark and complex story about family struggling against overwhelming difficulties. It’s raw and intense, but also incredibly funny, which is both disturbing and brilliant, and suggests a lot of creative potential. I’ve always felt that humor and fear are closely linked.

The latest issue of Living Legends is now available, and it’s dedicated to the incredible Dolly Parton! You can purchase ‘Dolly at 80’ at all good newsagents or online for only £8.99.

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2026-01-18 20:19