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Homer and Marge are getting out their glad rags and preparing for the red carpet: The Simpsons is going to the movies.

After 14 seasons of the cult cartoon, one of its producers has revealed that a full-length Simpsons film is finally on the way. "We've got an interesting idea, and it's different from the show," James Brooks, one of the show's writers, told Variety. "I can't tell you anything specific about it. My wife doesn't even know."

With the folk of the fictional town of Springfield soon to be featured in the 15th series of the cartoon, one might have thought that enough was enough. But if there is one rule in the world of showbusiness, it's that one can never have too much of a good thing.

Another of the show's writers, Mike Reiss, said: "They've wanted to do this since season two. It's been 13 years of wanting to do The Simpsons movie. Finally Fox [Entertainment] said, 'Let's just do it!' We've never had a truly compelling idea but Fox said, 'Maybe if we start paying you, you'll get inspired'. And sure enough, it worked!"

Talk of a movie project has been swirling around the show for more than 10 years. But its creator, Matt Groening, has always prided himself on ensuring a strict quality control and insisted that there would be no film until he and his colleagues were ready.

The film is not expected to be completed for at least two years. Mr Reiss added: "It's a reality after being just sort of this phantom idea. I think it is really gonna happen."