There is no "Futurama" without Bender. (Photo by Chris Polk/WireImage)
Actor John DiMaggio has been excluded from Hulu’s upcoming reboot of Futurama, leading to a social media revolt from longtime fans of the animated sci-fi comedy.
Futurama was originally created by The Simpsons' Matt Groening, and stars Billy West as Fry, Katey Sagal as Leela, and John DiMaggio as the robot Bender. The series follows the adventures of an interplanetary delivery company, exploring a multitude of sci-fi concepts along the way, often viewed as a precursor to popular animations like Rick and Morty.
While fans were quick to applaud the return of the beloved series, there was an abrupt shift in tone when the news broke that Bender would be recast with a different voice actor, after DiMaggio’s negotiations with 20th Television Animation came to a standstill, as the actor reportedly did not feel like he was being offered a competitive rate.
Fans were quick to side with DiMaggio, expressing their disappointment on Twitter.
The outcry is hardly a surprise, as Bender is widely considered to be the funniest and most charismatic of the three main characters, with DiMaggio’s distinctive voice regarded as iconic, inseparable from the character.
DiMaggio also voiced many of the background and side characters of Futurama - rebooting the show without his presence is akin to making a season of The Simpsons without Dan Castellaneta (voice of Homer, Krusty the Clown, Grandpa Simpson, and several other characters).
Indeed, as The Simpsons memorably pointed out during a famous scene with Ned Flanders, recast characters in animation always sound ever-so-slightly off, venturing into the uncanny valley of voice acting.
DiMaggio himself seems to want to come back, as his personal Twitter account has been reweeting messages of support from fans. Although the veteran voice actor has yet to release a full official statement, DiMaggio did Tweet an update on the situation, which he referred to as “#bendergate.”
"Thanks for the concern and the props, everyone. I really appreciate it. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted, but until then… CHEESE IT! #bendergate"
On Twitter, the conversation soon shifted to the perceived “replaceability” of voice actors, with many pointing to a double standard in the entertainment industry, as live-action actors are often viewed as fundamental to the characters they play.
This isn’t the first time Futurama has returned from the dead - the series was famously canceled and rebooted several times, and as a result, has multiple different endings, all of which focus on the romance between Fry and Leela; in general, the Futurama fandom views these endings as satisfying and true to the characters.
The new reboot now has to compete with those endings, as well as DiMaggio’s irreplaceable voice - so far, Futurama’s future is looking surprisingly bleak.
