Futurama fans rejoice! The original voice of Bender, the great John DiMaggio, has closed a deal to return for the new revival series coming to Hulu. He rejoins Billy West (Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, Prof. Farnsworth, Zapp Branigan), Katey Sagal (Leela), Tress MacNeille (Mom), Maurice LaMarche (Kif Kroker), Lauren Tom (Amy Wong), Phil LaMarr (Hermes Conrad), and David Herman (Scruffy). (Most of the cast provided multiple other voices as well.)
“I’m Back Baby!”
The revival of Futurama was announced on February 9, but DiMaggio was not included in the cast listing. It turns out that DiMaggio was still in negotiations and holding out for more money (not just for himself but the rest of the cast). And it… wasn’t going well.
On February 15, DiMaggio posted a message on Twitter that read, in part:
“Bender is part of my soul & nothing about this is meant to be disrespectful to the fans or my Futurama family. It’s about self-respect. And honestly, being tired of an industry that’s become far too corporate and takes advantage of an artist’s time and talent.”
But thankfully, DiMaggio and 20th Century Television/Disney/Hulu reached an agreement. On Tuesday, the actor declared:
“I’M BACK, BABY! So damn grateful for the love and support of fans and colleagues alike during this whole time (especially my wife, Kate), and I cannot wait to get back to work with my Futurama family,” he said in a statement. “#Bendergate is officially over, so put it on the back of a shelf behind Xmas decorations, or maybe in that kitchen drawer with all of the other crap you put in there like old unusable crazy glue, or maybe even put it in a jar you save farts in. Whatever floats your boat, I don’t care, you get the picture. I’M BACK, BABY! BITE MY SHINY METAL ASS!”
Production on Hulu’s Futurama is expected to begin soon. Twenty new episodes will be released in 2023.
“My Story Is A Lot Like Yours, Only More Interesting ‘Cause It Involves Robots.”
Futurama began life in 1999 on FOX, home of The Simpsons, and was created by Simpsons mastermind Matt Groening, who developed this new series with David X. Cohen. Futurama lasted for four seasons before later being revived in a series of direct-to-DVD movies.
In 2008, Comedy Central edited the DVD movies into 16 half-hour episodes. They aired them as “Season Five” in addition to ordering two more seasons.
In between FOX and Comedy Central, Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim also broadcast reruns of the first four seasons.
DiMaggio is one of the most prolific voice actors in the business, but Bender was his big breakthrough. Perhaps his second-most iconic role is that of Jake the Dog in Adventure Time. Among his other roles are Marcus Fenix in the Gears of War series, Dr. Drakken on Kim Possible, The Scotsman on Samurai Jack, Brother Blood on Teen Titans, Shnitzel on Chowder, Hammerhead and Sandman on The Spectacular Spider-Man, Aquaman, Gorilla Grodd, and others on Batman: The Brave and the Bold, King Zøg on Disenchantment, Wakka and Kimahri in Final Fantasy X, Rath and Aggregor on Ben 10, and Gonza in Princess Mononoke.
In 2013, DiMaggio executive produced and narrated the documentary I Know That Voice, which went behind the scenes of the career of voice acting.
He also acts in live-action! He had the recurring role of Dr. Sean Underhill on Chicago Hope and he is currently in New Orleans filming Interview With the Vampire for AMC.
Groening declared:
“From the moment John DiMaggio auditioned last century, we knew we had our Bender. So congrats to everyone at Futurama. We’re all back, baby!”
Cohen added:
“John DiMaggio may be a great robot, but he’s also a great human being. Not many people or machines can say that. For the fourth time, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thrill to be back with our entire original cast and the phenomenal animators of Rough Draft Studios.”
Check back for updates on the new Futurama as they arrive!
