Bad news, everyone! Hulu’s planned revival of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s cult-favorite sci-fi comedy Futurama has already hit a major snag. Veteran voice actor John DiMaggio will not be returning to voice Bender Bending Rodriguez, the beloved trash-talking robot. The show’s returning voice cast includes stars Billy West (Fry), Katey Sagal (Leela), Tress MacNeille (Linda van Schoonhoven), Maurice LaMarche (Morbo), Lauren Tom (Amy), Phil LaMarr (Hermes), and David Herman (Scruffy). But not having DiMaggio is a huge loss for the series and what is arguably its signature character.
Apparently, negotiations between Hulu and DiMaggio fell through, after West, Sagal and DiMaggio were initally approached to reprise their roles. West and Sagal accepted their offer, which DiMaggio considered a lowball offer. And given that DiMaggio is one of the most prolific and beloved voice actors of this or any generation, maybe they should pay him what he’s asking.
DiMaggio has been retweeted and sharing angry posts from fans who are upset at the prospect of a Futurama without him. Joining him were fellow voice actors who called out the poor treatment, low pay, and other issues compared to their live-action counterparts. Voice actors are critical to a character and a show’s success, and they should be compensated as such. The hashtag #BenderGate began trending as the support flowed in.
DiMaggio thanked his fans for their support in a new tweet. Given the lag time in animation, DiMaggio and Hulu may still work out their differences. And here’s hoping they do, because Futurama without DiMaggio is not the kind of Futurama fans want.
Hulu’s series revival will features 20 new episodes set to debut in 2023. This will be the third revival of the series, which originally ran on FOX from 1999-2003. It was first brought back in 2007 with four direct-to-DVD movies that aired as 30-minute episodes on Comedy Central. Its second revival came about in 2010, when Comedy Central picked up new seasons of the show that ran until 2013.
“I’m thrilled to have another chance to think about the future… or really anything other than the present,” said David X. Cohen in Hulu’s press release. “It’s a true honor to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get canceled abruptly again,” added Matt Groening.
Will you watch another revival of Futurama with or without John DiMaggio? The Comedy Central seasons were missing the magic of the original series, and no DiMaggio is a non-starter for me and countless other fans.
(via Entertainment Weekly, image: 20th Century Fox)
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Published: Feb 11, 2022 03:54 pm