Groening Goes Back to the "Futurama"

by Daniel Frankel
April 21, 1998, 3:15 p.m. PT

The landmark animated series he created nearly a decade ago, The Simpsons, will air its 200th episode Sunday, but don't expect Matt Groening to do more than stick his name in the credits--he's reportedly hard at work right now on his next Fox cartoon project, Futurama.

The series is based on the Sleeper-esque premise of guy who wakes up from a deep freeze a thousand years from now. He hooks up with some zany pals who travel around the universe in a Fed-Ex-like delivery rocket, according to Daily Variety.

Futurama will be Groening's first TV project since he put yellow pen to paper and came up with Fox's mega-successful animated franchise in the late '80s.

The network plans to launch the new series in the middle of next season, possibly after the Super Bowl next January, Variety says. Fox has committed to 13 episodes of the 'toon.

Simpsons newsgroups have been buzzing recently over the new show, with the Homer faithful scared that Groening will shirk his Springfied duties in favor of Futurama. "Not to worry--Groening hasn't been very involved in the show in recent years, anyway," one alt.tv.simpson-ite reassures his fellow fans.

Still, a Simpsons talent-drain could be in the works. Variety says Fox has hired David Cohen--who spent four years producing Groening's dysfunctional family--to executive-produce Futurama.

Cohen got a two-year, multimillion-dollar deal, with an option for a third year, the trade reports.

Calls to Fox seeking further comment were not immediately returned.