We previously talked about the fabulous revival of Futurama by Hulu and mentioned that all original cast had signed deals to return except for voice of Bender John DiMaggio whose deal was still being finalized.

Seems that neither Hulu nor Bender are willing to bend on salary.

His update tweet is copied in full below:

I’ve been thinking about everything going on these past months, and just to be clear I don’t think that only I deserve to be paid more. I think the entire cast does. Negotiations are a natural part of working in show business. Everyone has a different strategy & different boundaries. Their ‘price.’ Some accept offers, some hold their ground. Bender is part of my soul & nothing about this is meant to be disrespectful to the fans or my Futurama family. It’s about self-respect. And honestly, being tired of an industry that’s become far too corporate and takes advantage of artist’s time & talent. Look, I wish I could give you every detail so you would understand, but it’s not my place. Thanks again for the love everyone. Still hoping for the best. In the meantime I’ll be in New Orleans shooting Interview With A Vampire for AMC—and very grateful to be! Thanks...

Interesting that he mentions pay of other cast. Robert Downey Jr reportedly fought Marvel over better pay for his fellow Avengers.

And seemingly won... but his character was later killed off.

We're also reminded of one comment attached to the revival announcement by one of the execs:

What I love about animation is that it’s possible for a successful show to take a pause and then resume years later, even on a different platform, and pick up right where it left off. Futurama is one of those shows.

Animation also has the benefit of making it easier to replace cast.

Appearance is irrelevant. A replacement actor just needs to be able to mimic the character's voice.

But would fans accept it?

This latest Futurama revival is scheduled for a 2023 release.

[ Main Image: Futurama. Credit: Hulu via IMDb.com. ]

References

DiMaggio John [@TheJohnDiMaggio] (February 16, 2022). Update: #bendergate. Twitter.

Finke, Nikki (May 7, 2013). ‘Avengers’ Cast And Stingy Marvel Ready To Rumble Over Sequel Cash & Strong-Arming. Deadline.

Goldberg, Leslie (February 9, 2022). ‘Futurama’ Revived at Hulu. The Hollywood Reporter.