Good news everybody! Hulu has announced a revival of the hit Fox animated series Futurama over on Hulu. This is actually the second time that the series has been revived. The original series ran from 1999-2003 on Fox before being canceled. It was then brought back with new episodes on Comedy Central from 2008-2013. Now it is finding new life again with an order for 20 episodes on the streaming platform.
Now, here’s the news that might not be so great. While they’ve managed to re-engage with the majority of the original voice cast (Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman), there’s one voice that hasn’t been announced as being part of the revival, John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender.
There seems to be interest on both sides of the table for DiMaggio to return, but a breakdown in negotiations has led the streamer to begin recasting the role. DiMaggio hasn’t made an official comment on the situation, but he has been more than happy to retweet some messages from fans that share his sentiments on the matter. Some of the highlights include:
- “Without @TheJohnDiMaggio #Futurama & @hulu can bite my metal shiny ass.”
- “really hoping they ensure @TheJohnDiMaggio is in the new futurama. “Should that not happen, Bender will be recast.” how high are they? (“LETS GET MORE FUTURAMA, DO WE REALLY NEED JOHN?” ahh yes, yes you do).”
- “They need to get the deal done with @TheJohnDiMaggio or we’ve got a problem. Come on, pay the man! @TheJohnDiMaggio.”
In the end, it’s a stand-off about money, but there’s a good chance that a deal is going to be made. Hell, the image that Hulu dropped to announce the revival was a pic of Bender. They know he’s a fan favorite, they’ll probably pay up.