‘Futurama:’ John DiMaggio on His Salary Battle and Return as Bender
variety.comKatcy Stephan Bender’s back, baby! When animated sci-fi comedy series “Futurama” returns for an 11th season on Hulu after a decade-long hiatus, voice actor John DiMaggio will reprise his role as the foulmouthed, human-hating robot.
Hulu revealed the reboot plans in February 2022, but DiMaggio’s name was notably absent from the long list of returning cast members. (The series originated on Fox, then saw DVD-format and Comedy Central iterations.) In a situation that foreshadowed the current questions over streaming salaries in Hollywood, DiMaggio was deadlocked in a salary negotiation with the streamer. “When they made the announcement, it wasn’t like I had said no.
We had been negotiating for a long time,” DiMaggio tells Variety in a Zoom interview just hoursbefore the actors are to go on strike. “It was a stalemate.” Social media erupted over the prospect of the beloved character’s original voice not returning, spurred on by DiMaggio’s own hashtag: #BenderGate. “Bender is part of my soul and 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 artists’ time and talent,” he tweeted at the time.
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