Futurama Revival Officially Brings Back John DiMaggio As Bender
screenrant.comVoice actor John DiMaggio is officially returning as Bender in the Futurama revival series. DiMaggio played Bender in the original show, which originally ran on FOX from 1999-2003, only to be canceled after four seasons. It was then picked up by Comedy Central with four films and two more seasons. Futurama was ultimately canceled in 2013, but the show has held a serious fanbase over the near decade it has been off the air.
Then in February, Hulu announced that Futurama would return for 20 more episodes set to be released some time next year. The original announcement came with the news that the voice actors for two of the lead characters Fry (Billy West) and Leela (Katey Sagal) would be reprising their roles, but DiMaggio was still negotiating with the studio for more competitive pay. It was rumored that Bender was going to be recast if an agreement wasn't soon reached. Fans of Futurama expressed their outrage over DiMaggio being missing from the reboot, with many taking to Twitter to unleash their opinions to Hulu. The internet dubbed the controversy #Bendergate, and DiMaggio lead and supported the campaign to reclaim his iconic role.
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It seems as though all the campaigning and negotiation paid off, as it was announced by Deadline that DiMaggio would officially be returning for the Futurama reboot. Though no information has been released about the terms of the deal he made with 20th Century Animation, DiMaggio released a statement officially calling off #Bendergate. Read what he said below:
“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
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