October 11, 2011 12:26

'The Simpsons' to return for two more seasons

New deal with voice actors will take the show up to at least 25 years

The Simpsons will return for two more series, taking the show up to a historic 25 years. Network Fox confirmed a 24th and 25th series for the smash hit Springfield animation, after another round of tense negotiations with the voice cast. Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer are all set to return.

But the cast are believed to have accepted a sharp cut in pay of around 30 per cent according to The Hollywood Reporter, taking the $440,000 (£281,000) they make per episode down to $300,000 (£192,000).

The battle between Fox and its voice actors has been a regular event since 1998, but this year has been more bitter and public than ever. Fox even went as far as issuing a public statement saying that economic model of The Simpsons was no longer viable and that costs needed to be reduced. Reports suggested that writers and producers would also see their pay reduced. Shearer apparently offered to take a 70 per cent cut in exchange for a cut of the back end profits, something which Fox refused.

As it stands, The Simpsons will return to US TV screens on October 30 with the new episode Treehouse Of Horrors XXII.