Boots Riley refuses to do the normal thing. As front man for The Coup, Riley mixed funk, punk, and rap with stridently leftist lyrics, resulting in a sound unlike any other. Riley’s held to that ethos as he jumps to filmmaking, with his absurdist debut feature Sorry to Bother You and the off-beat superhero series I’m a Virgo. Riley’s latest movie I Love Boosters will certainly continue that tradition, but it’s the project after that is really raising eyebrows.
Riley has confirmed via social media that he plans to make film adaptation of the unauthorized The Simpsons play Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn, with music by Michael Friedman. The confirmation came about in a typically atypical manner, with Twitter user Taylor Hunsherger posting, “theater twitter: i’m here to let you all know that anne washburn dropped the announcement that mr. burns is being developed into a film by boots riley in her playbill bio for burning cauldron of fiery fire.” In his retweet, Riley wrote, “This is a true thing.”
Though both the announcement and Riley himself are somewhat unusual, that’s perfect for Washburn’s play. Mr. Burns follows a post-apocalyptic theater troupe that recreates episodes of The Simpsons. In particular, the group’s rendition of season five’s “Cape Feare” earns them fame, and draws the jealousy of other troupes that also recreate television episodes from before the apocalypse. Mr. Burns shows how “Cape Feare” mutates as the performers misremember and change the story over the years, changes that become particularly pronounced by the play’s final act, which takes place 75 years after the main story.
Washburn’s play seeks to explore the importance of even pop culture and to examine how humans change stories to meet our needs. Which is why she chose “Cape Feare” as the main Simpsons episode to retell, as it itself riffs on the movie Cape Fear (both the 1962 original and the 1991 Martin Scorsese remake) as well as Psycho. As in the movie, “Cape Feare” involves Sideshow Bob terrorizing the Simpsons in revenge for Bart stopping his schemes in the past. Yet, Bob cannot seem to destroy the family, as he’s thwarted by everything from elephants to his own ego.
