The recent news about Futurama‘s return for a new season at Hulu was tempered by the fact that voice actor John DiMaggio was not returning to the series over salary demands. The show’s creative team was reportedly looking to recast the role when the revival was announced, and fans online made it clear that there can only be one Bender. But now, BenderGate has come to an end, because John DiMaggio has signed on to reprise his iconic role as the sarcastic and sardonic robot Bender.
Via The Hollywood Reporter, DiMaggio celebrated his return by slipping into character in his official statement.
“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,” wrote DiMaggio. “#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!”
Futurama co-creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen also welcomed DiMaggio back to the fold with statements of their own.
“From the moment John DiMaggio auditioned last century, we knew we had our Bender,” said Groening. “So congrats to everyone at Futurama. We’re all back, baby!”
“John DiMaggio may be a great robot, but he’s also a great human being,” said Cohen. “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.”
As alluded to by Cohen, the rest of the original cast has already signed on. That means Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman will once again reprise their various roles.
The Futurama revival season will consist of twenty episodes, and it will premiere on Hulu in 2023. The seven previous seasons are currently streaming on Hulu as well.
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