I have a hunch something is up here...

I'm sure everyone has seen the video of the live-action Simpsons opening by now. Its the hot net meme of the moment. There may be a little bit more here than expected. This may very well be a test run to get feedback on a plan.. Or an event strategy that just started..

Take note of the linked article from The UK Sun:

Simpson’s maker Matt Groening has approved the human version of the show’s opening credits to promote the brand new series.

An insider said: "We're really excited about it.

In the context of the story, that can easily be dismissed as a typo, as "new season" would make the most sense. However, lets keep one thing in mind here... The Sun is also a Murdoch paper. The Simpsons is Fox's longest running series and a big money maker. Nothing runs for 17 seasons without a chorus of bean counters screaming for a way to expand the empire using its following. That typo has been up there for awhile and no one is correcting it. Since March 3rd, complete with links to the video in multiple formats. That's an intended leak.

Also something to make note of:

And you can be among the first to watch the hilarious titles, filmed over 18 months in Britain, by clicking one of the links below.

"We used regular actors, not so much for their resemblance - as you can't copy a bunch of yellow characters - but becuase you can easily identify with them."

All that language that denotes something more there than a one off thing.

18 months is a long time to make that, unless most of the focus was on casting for the long term, and planning sets that are intended to be reused. Who the hell are these people?

Basing a Simpsons spinoff in Britain makes a lot of sense too. I can think of numerous reasons why. There was talk of a Simpsons live-action movie awhile back... That could be what's going on too. Its possible that right now someone is trying to make a decision which way to go with it. Positive reaction == series. Negative reaction == movie.

So what does everyone think.. Is my hunch right? Have I finally become capable of reading Rupert Murdoch's mind? Did they cast Lisa Simpson in a way we can live with?

The Sun leaks The Simpsons live-action series meme