'Pacific Rim' director Guillermo Del Toro directs 'Simpsons' opening sequence ...

Director will helm 'Treehouse of Horror' episode on US cartoon

Pacific Rim director Guillermo Del Toro has directed his own version of the iconic intro to The Simpsons - scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to watch. The Mexican filmmaker directed a two-and-a-half minute opening sequence for the much-loved cartoon for this year's Halloween-themed Treehouse Of Horror episode. According to the Telegraph, Del Toro - who has also directed films including Pan's Labyrinth and Hell Boy - said: "I asked [creator Matt Groening] if I could make the sequence around horror and fantasy in general, and throw in my movies there. But this way, it's a love letter to things that I love, both in The Simpsons and the genre." Del Toro also claimed there were direct references to 30 or 40 classic moments in horror cinema. "I kept trying to add things ... but I pared it down because I wanted very much to make it as consistent with the title sequence as possible," he said.It was reported yesterday that The Simpsons writers are set to kill off a major character. The show's executive producer Al Jean that the episode will be produced this year and "may air in season 26". He also hinted that "the actor playing the character won an Emmy" for the role. However, he stopped short of revealing which beloved character was for the axe. Meanwhile, the stars of Futurama are to join The Simpsons for a crossover episode. The episode's plot will apparently pit Futurama's ill-tempered Bender against the ever mischievous Bart Simpson. The episode will be scripted by J Stewart Burns, who has written for both shows in the past.

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