After the 20-episode Hulu revival was announced sans John DiMaggio, who voices robot Bender, “Futurama” fans threatened to boycott the series using hashtag #BenderGate on social media. Now, as of March 1, DiMaggio will officially be reprising his role, alongside co-stars Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman. “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,” DiMaggio said in a statement, via Variety. “#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!”
DiMaggio previously revealed that he felt the returning cast and crew deserved to be paid more than what was initially offered to come back for the show, per the outlet. “Futurama” originally premiered on Fox in 1999 and concluded after four seasons. The success of reruns on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim later led to four direct-to-video films that were then re-edited into a fifth season, which aired on Comedy Central starting in 2008. Comedy Central went on to air two more seasons consisting of 26 episodes each between 2010 and 2013. “From the moment John DiMaggio auditioned last century, we knew we had our Bender,” series creator Matt Groening said. “So congrats to everyone at ‘Futurama.’ We’re all back, baby!” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. “Futurama” tells the story of a 25-year-old pizza delivery man (West) who accidentally freezes himself on December 31, 1999, and wakes up 1,000 years later with a new group of friends including Leela (Segal) and Bender (DiMaggio). Production is currently underway on the new iteration of “Futurama,” with an expected release date in 2023. 20th Television Animation is producing “Futurama,” with Rough Draft Studios Inc. contributing the animation.
