There won’t be much of a Futurama without all the original talents on board. The news that John DiMaggio isn’t likely to be on board has fans riled. This talent’s magic in breathing life to Bender is special. I can’t imagine anyone else being able to deliver the sass and crass that is the cigar-toking, alcoholic robot who can bend metal into paper aeroplanes. Billy West, Katey Sagal and John are the trio who can’t be split.
With no surprise, it’s all about the money. Deadline reported, “There is still a desire on both sides for him to return.”
Realistically, DiMaggio and Hulu are still negotiating. The reports came fast and furious after the announcement of the revival. Fans quickly responded on social media by saying they don’t want these new episodes unless John is there.
Others may note a similar situation where the producers, like with the iCarly revival, say the door will always be open for Jennette McCurdy (in that show’s case) should that acting bug bite. For this animated series, John might come back for the fans and say, “Okay, I’m here for you,” then be upset over the offer. There has to be more to the talks going on that no fan realises.
John is enjoying life at The Loud House, where he voices the recurring characters of Bud Grouse, Flip, and Chester. Although production has slowed recently, he’s certainly out there and getting the work. Disenchantment, another by Matt Groening series, has a new set of episodes released on Netflix.
In the days following, all the social media outbursts are showing how beloved this voice actor is. John DiMaggio is an institution.
Without @TheJohnDiMaggio #Futurama & @hulu can bite my metal shiny ass https://t.co/zJzW7xvU50 pic.twitter.com/mU1hyoCMAb
— tom42 (@go2tom42) February 9, 2022
I feel like the idea of @TheJohnDiMaggio as a replaceable element of Futurama is part of a wider issue of an industry that doesn’t respect voice actors on the same level as live action actors. You’ll see voice actors who MADE a character treated like no live action actor would be
— Kelly Turnbull (@Coelasquid) February 10, 2022
Since the original airing of this show, from 1999 to 2003, this sitcom about a Fry, a pizza delivery boy, who gets cryogenically frozen by accident and waking up to second chances (if it can be called that) in a far off future has plenty of offbeat satire. He meets and falls in love with a humanoid mutant from the sewers, Leela, and from there, we have more oddball shenanigans when he tries to win her love.
Eventually, the original run was cancelled due to struggling ratings. It came back to life with four direct to video films around 2000, and even more episodes in 2010. Whether the issue is over these talents being able to take on other jobs during production, it’s hard to say. As a fan, I can’t wait to see what Fry is up to next. Perhaps Billy West will have something to say when he appears and speaks at Fan Expo Vancouver taking place Feb 19-21.
