Voice of Mr Burns, Ned Flanders to stay on with 'Simpsons'

Emmy-winning actor Harry Shearer will voice the pious Ned Flanders and greedy Mr Burns for the next two seasons of "The Simpsons" after resolving a contract dispute, Variety magazine reported Tuesday.

Shearer, who said in May that he would be leaving the longrunning Fox series, will be back for seasons 27 and 28 after negotiating a new agreement, the entertainment trade magazine said.

Shearer has been a part of "The Simpsons" cast since its debut in 1989.

The actor is the vocal force behind a handful of "Simpsons" characters -- Homer Simpson's neighbor Flanders, the evil billionaire Burns, Principal Skinner and Burns' obsequious manservant Waylon Smithers.

The series' showrunner, Al Jean, told The New York Times at the time of Shearer's announcement that the show did not plan to kill off the characters, but rather, recast the voices.

In a subsequent interview with Entertainment Weekly, however, he hinted at a glimmer of hope that Shearer might return, stating: "We're still hoping he might come back. Nothing's done 'til it's done."

The show averages 7.7 million viewers on television and online in the United States. Millions more enjoy "The Simpsons" in foreign markets, according to US parent network Fox.