They are back Baby... (sort of) (completely!)

quagmire

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So Futurama has been revived yet again this time by Hulu.

Two Problems:

1. Bender is being recast since DiMaggio didn't sign on..... Sort of hard to have a successful revival with a recast of a major character...... @DT wanna try out?

2. Where do they go from the last episode? They can't continue where they left off on the timeline since everything got reset. If the episodes will expand the period from show start to the reset, how do they not make everything feel repetitive and tired? Do they do a Rick and Morty and the crew we follow is in a different universe that had events unfold differently than the original universe? Do we now see Golden Bender and crew as the crew we follow( this would sort of help with the recasting of Bender).....

 
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DT

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Oh wow.

Yeah, totally agree with both your problems:

1. Without DiMaggio, it would be weird, it's not just the voice, it's kind of the underlying mojo of the voice actor.

2. The ending was perfect, in fact, I've said right on this board that it's one of the best endings ever, in any series, I feel like any tampering will just make the whole series worse.
 

DT

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The Hollywood Reporter is saying this:

John DiMaggio, who provided the voice behind the wise-cracking robot with the “shiny metal ass” Bender, is finalizing a deal to return as well though a deal has not yet closed.
 

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The ending was perfect, in fact, I've said right on this board that it's one of the best endings ever, in any series, I feel like any tampering will just make the whole series worse.

If they manage to get DiMaggio back alongside the rest of the cast, and they have the same writers onboard, then I don't care how they retcon it. Ain't gonna complain about more Futurama.
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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I thought this was going to be about endless shrimp at Red Lobster. I don't even like Red Lobster. Or shrimp. But I've seen the internet collectively wet its pants when this day comes.
 

quagmire

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If they manage to get DiMaggio back alongside the rest of the cast, and they have the same writers onboard, then I don't care how they retcon it. Ain't gonna complain about more Futurama.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that futurama is back again too.

But I hope they are not lazy about it like the first episode back is them getting back to where Fry froze time and they prevent it this time kind of BS.
 

Eric

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Oops, accidentally posted over you but I deleted it. In any case let me do the happy dance of my people.

futurama-zoidberg.gif


Totally going back to Hulu as soon as this happens!
 

Eric

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Oh wow.

Yeah, totally agree with both your problems:

1. Without DiMaggio, it would be weird, it's not just the voice, it's kind of the underlying mojo of the voice actor.

2. The ending was perfect, in fact, I've said right on this board that it's one of the best endings ever, in any series, I feel like any tampering will just make the whole series worse.
Wait, what? How can that be I wonder, DiMaggio seems like he's perfectly open to new opportunities. Yeah man if he's not there I won't be watching. Shit, I was stoked and then see this. :mad:
 

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Wait, what? How can that be I wonder, DiMaggio seems like he's perfectly open to new opportunities. Yeah man if he's not there I won't be watching. Shit, I was stoked and then see this. :mad:
He just hasn’t signed yet. Still negotiating is all.
 

Eric

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He just hasn’t signed yet. Still negotiating is all.
Sounds like they may have offered him less than others 🤷‍♂️


Hulu finalized deals for 20 new episodes of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s cult animated series today, after months of negotiations. Groening and Cohen are both returning for the new season, set to premiere in 2023, as previously reported, along with the majority of the series’ voice cast, including Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman.

DiMaggio, who voiced foul-mouthed robot Bender and an assortment of other characters, was the one notable absence from today’s announcement, after failing to agree to a deal with Futurama studio 20th Television Animation, similar to that negotiated for his fellow leads West and Sagal. Deadline hears that while his roles are currently being recast ahead of the first table read on Monday, there is still a desire on both sides for him to return.

There's a lot of pushback online about this, let's hope it works out.
 
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Yeah, my first reaction was "sounds like fun on a bun!", but not without DiMaggio. Hopefully this can work out.
 

Eric

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DiMaggio is still hitting social media pretty hard, sharing calls for boycott, etc. so I'm guessing they're no closer to reaching an agreement. It's a shame because I really love all the cast but DiMaggio IS Bender, without him I just won't watch.
 

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DiMaggio is still hitting social media pretty hard, sharing calls for boycott, etc. so I'm guessing they're no closer to reaching an agreement. It's a shame because I really love all the cast but DiMaggio IS Bender, without him I just won't watch.

I’ll watch anyway.
 

Eric

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More on this (once you wade through the weeds), long story short it sounds like Sagal and West accepted the same salary but it's not enough for DiMaggio.

From EW
Hulu and 20th Television Animation went out to West, Sagal, and DiMaggio at the same time last year to begin negotiations. This is an example of "favored nations," which is a pretty standard negotiation process in the animation field that seeks to pay series regulars the same. The goal was to close those deals before reaching out to other voice actors from the original show.

According to sources, an offer was extended to all three actors. West and Sagal accepted. DiMaggio's team did not, seeing it as a lowball and not competitive to the market or the legacy of Futurama. One source suggests the favored nations process fell apart with West and Sagal taking the offer without consulting DiMaggio. Another source refutes that notion.

DiMaggio's side counter-offered with more competitive quotes, but some sources suggest conversations with the studio ended in November and have not progressed since.

A search for a replacement voice actor is still ongoing, while the offer for DiMaggio to return remains on the table for the time being, EW has learned. The studio doesn't want to pay DiMaggio more than West and Sagal, which contributes to the standstill.

Meanwhile, the revival is moving forward, with Groening and Cohen, as well as Hulu, wanting to do it.

It's a shame really but from the sounds of it Hulu won't cave and unless DiMaggio bends (pun intended) he's likely out.
 

DT

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I know we'll likely never know the details, but I wonder the difference in his counter-offer vs. the original, especially if it was good for West and Sagal. Heck, Billy West is a pretty major name in the voice actor space, I can't imagine him thinking the offer was fine and DiMaggio [seemingly] thinking it was way off base.
 

DT

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Hahaha, this is a great comment (from Reddit):

"Why don't they just hire the guy who does Jake from Adventure Time? They sound pretty similar."
 

Eric

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I know we'll likely never know the details, but I wonder the difference in his counter-offer vs. the original, especially if it was good for West and Sagal. Heck, Billy West is a pretty major name in the voice actor space, I can't imagine him thinking the offer was fine and DiMaggio [seemingly] thinking it was way off base.
Right and the cameo thing he did for us was not that expensive, he also knew it was for the site and not personal (which was a different pricing tier) and he still did it for the personal rate when he didn't have to, in fact I tipped him extra because he was so reasonable about it. He seems like a pretty cool and down to earth guy.
 

DT

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Yeah, maybe West and Sagal are undervaluing themselves, it sounds like a unified front would've been DiMaggio's preference. I'm sure they think about the salaries of voice actors for the SImpsons and grind their teeth a little, though Futurama never hit the popularity / cultural impact of the former.

I'd imagine it's also driven by actor's financial situation, someone like Sagal might think it's a fun gig, with reasonable pay, and not be sweating the income that much.
 

quagmire

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Right and the cameo thing he did for us was not that expensive, he also knew it was for the site and not personal (which was a different pricing tier) and he still did it for the personal rate when he didn't have to, in fact I tipped him extra because he was so reasonable about it. He seems like a pretty cool and down to earth guy.

Bet this comes down to how Hulu treated the revival in the sense of pay. Obviously new shows tend to have lower pay and then goes higher as the show gains success, etc. Does Hulu see the revival as a new show sort of speak and treated pay that way? While the offer may still have been higher than an actual new show, it wasn't an offer based on the show being mature and successful, etc and that is DiMaggio's hang up? This sets precedence for future revivals and affects other voice actors ability to bargain with the network.
 
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