Thursday, May 14, 2015

‘The Simpsons’ Fires Mr. Burns: Harry Shearer Claims He’s Been Kicked Out of Springfield

The Daily Beast reports ‘The Simpsons’ Fires Mr. Burns: Harry Shearer Claims He’s Been Kicked Out of Springfield.

Back in 2011, Shearer led a group of Simpsons cast members in a lengthy and public salary negotiation. The actors ended up taking pay cuts, and won none of the backend merchandising and licensing profits that Shearer lobbied passionately for in a guest article for The Daily Beast.

“As a member of the Simpsons cast for 23 years, I think it’s fair to say that we’ve had a great run and no one should feel sorry for any of us,” Shearer wrote. “But given how much joy the show has given so many people over the years—and given how many billions of dollars in profits News Corp. has earned and will earn from it—I find it hard to believe that this is Fox’s final word on the subject.”

“At least I certainly hope it isn’t, because the alternative is to cancel the show or fire me for having the gall to try to save the show by helping Fox with its new business model. Neither would be a fair result—either to those of us who have committed so many years to the show or to its loyal fans who make our effort worthwhile.”

I hope they can come to some agreement.

Update: The Verge says The Simpsons will recast Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, and other Harry Shearer characters

Update: Apparently it's Shearer who's being greedy. 'Simpsons' Mr. Burns walking away from $14 million deal. "The actor was offered a guaranteed $14 million for two years of work, according to someone with direct knowledge of the matter. The proposed deal also allowed for him to do other projects if he wished."

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