A new report (via Variety) has confirmed Futurama is being revived again, only this time Bender voice actor John DiMaggio is curiously not returning.
While Futurama is being revived again via Hulu, a set of 20 new episodes are planned for the sci-fi animated series, with producers David X. Cohen and Matt Groening already signed on to revive the beloved show once more.
Almost the entire cast are reprising their roles, including: Billy West as Fry, Katey Sagal as Leela, Tress MacNeille as Mom, Maurice LaMarche as Kif Kroker/Calculon/Lrr/Orson Welles/etc, Lauren Tom as Amy Wong, Phil LaMarr as Hermes Conrad, and David Herman as Scruffy/Roberto/etc., but why isn’t John DiMaggio set to return as Bender, the best character in the series?
Why that’s because Bender Bending Rodríguez gets all the money baby, as the robot himself would say – EW reports scources close to negotiations claim DiMaggio and Hulu have hit a standstill, prompting the studio to actually consider replacing him with someone else as Bender. A deadline is reportedly coming next Monday, February 14th, and yet both sides want DiMaggio to return.
Hulu’s new revival of Futurama is going to begin production this month and is set for a 2023 premiere, with creator Matt Groening calling it a “true honor to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get canceled abruptly again.”
Futurama was originally aired on Fox from 1999 to 2003, and stars pizza delivery boy Fry – just prior to the year 2000. Fry gets cryogenically frozen, and wakes up in the year 3000 to find everything has changed. The show was loved by fans but was sadly cancelled after a few seasons, followed by a few direct-to-DVD movies (which got repurposed as a new season), and was later revived by Comedy Central in 2010 before it was cancelled again in 2013.
Fans haven’t taken kindly to the prospect of Bender not being voiced by DiMaggio, as the hashtag “BenderGate” (sound familiar?) has surfaced on Twitter, with DiMaggio himself publicly railing against the negotiations stalling.
“Thanks for the concern and the props, everyone. I really appreciate it,” DiMaggio said on Twitter. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted, but until then… CHEESE IT! #bendergate.”
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