Last month, Disney announced it would be reviving the popular animated series, “Futurama” for Disney’s streaming services

The order is for 20 new episodes and the series went into production last month, with a 2023 premiere. The show’s returning voice cast includes stars Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman.

“Futurama” focuses on the life of Philip Fry (Billy West), a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself on December 31, 1999, and wakes up 1,000 years later with a fresh start at life and a “diverse” new group of friends including Leela (Katey Sagal), a tough but lovely one-eyed alien and Bender, a robot who possesses human characteristics and flaws.

However, in the original announcement, it was revealed that the voice of Bender, John DiMaggio, wouldn’t be returning.   This lead to a major social media backlash known as #bendergate.

But, today, it’s been confirmed that John DiMaggio is returning to the role of Bender for the revival, with John saying:

“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 work with my ‘Futurama’ family. #Bendergate is officially over, so put it on the back of a shelf behind Xmas decorations, or maybe in that kitchen drawer with all of the other crap you put in there like old unusable crazy glue, or maybe even put it in a jar you save farts in. Whatever floats your boat, I don’t care, you get the picture. I’M BACK, BABY! BITE MY SHINY METAL ASS!”

The show’s creator Matt Groening said in a statement:

“From the moment John DiMaggio auditioned last century, we knew we had our Bender.  So congrats to everyone at ‘Futurama.’ We’re all back, baby!”

With “Futurama” executive producer David X. Cohen adding:

“John DiMaggio may be a great robot, but he’s also a great human being. Not many people or machines can say that. For the fourth time, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thrill to be back with our entire original cast and the phenomenal animators of Rough Draft Studios!”

The new revival is going to be released exclusively on Disney’s streaming services, on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in other countries including the UK, Canada and Australia.

Previous seasons of “Futurama” are available on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ internationally.

What do you think of John DiMaggio returning as Bender?

Source – Deadline

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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