Futurama Revival: John DiMaggio Won't Not Return as Bender (For Now)

By Megan Peters - February 10, 2022 10:12 am EST

Futurama is back, baby! After a long time on the mend, the hit animated comedy is making a comeback over at Hulu. Reports confirmed today that a revival is being produced, and it will reunite most of Futurama's star cast. But as it turns out, the beloved voice of Bender, John DiMaggio, will not be returning.

The details were shared recently when Deadline confirmed Hulu's plans to revive Futurama. It turns out most of the original cast is set to return including Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman. However, DiMaggio is not on the list for good reason.

According to reports, DiMaggio – who is known best for playing Bender – has yet to ink a deal with Hulu. Right now, the role is being recast as Futurama is undergoing its first table read on Monday. This decision was made after cast negotiations hit a roadblock despite interest on DiMaggio and Hulu's part to have him reprise his leading role.

Deadline says DiMaggio was approached to join the revival along with West and Sagal as they voice Fry and Leela respectively. However, DiMaggio wasn't happy with the offers he was receiving for Futurama given how big the show has become since it ended in 2003. The show was briefly revived by Comedy Central in 2010 before closing a few years later. Now, creators Matt Groening and David Cohen are seeing their series brought to life once more even if one of its main characters sounds different this time around.

What do you think about Futurama having to recast Bender? Do you hope DiMaggio will join in on this project? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

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