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Boots Riley, the director of dark comedy Sorry to Bother You, will be directing Anne Washburn's cross-media stageplay Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play for film, according to the director's social media page. We heard about the news thanks to the god folks at The Playlist, who reported on the confirmation in an article published January 12.

The confirmation comes almost three months after a Twitter/X user by the handle @tayparade posted about the news on their own platform, saying "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," a message that Riley himself responded to with a simple confirmation: "This is a true thing."

But for those of us non-theater kids out there, just what the hell is this play we're talking about? Let us explain.

Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play serves as a commentary on how stories affect culture. The basic premise of the play goes like this - after the apocalypse, a group of survivors entertain themselves by retelling The Simpsons episode Cape Feare. Eventually, the survivors' story gets retold and morphed by a slowly rebuilding society, and in the century that follows, becomes a Beowulf-level epic, featuring a heroic Bart Simpson and a nigh-Satanic Mr. Burns. The show scored a nomination for the 2014 Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play, but did not win.

As of this writing, there are no details regarding who Riley will cast in bringing to life Washburn's post-apocalyptic vision, nor do we have any info on the film's release date. Also interesting to note is the fact that, as an unlicensed work that hinges on a Simpsons plotline, owner Disney could very well make this easier said than done for Riley. 

Whatever happens, Popverse will be letting you know.

There probably are enough stories about Springfield's favorite family to get us past the apocalypse. Here's how to watch The Simpsons in order.