John DiMaggio has announced his official return to the role of Bender in the Hulu revival of Futurama, via Deadline. Till now, DiMaggio had been the only actor from the original cast who had not joined on to the revival. Back on February 16, he had explained that he was holding out for more money both for himself and the entire Futurama cast. Now, one way or another, it seems the matter has been resolved.
Exact details of the deal have not been divulged. Per Deadline, the pay increase DiMaggio might have received is “minimal at best.” Nonetheless, here is the statement from John DiMaggio where he announces his return as Bender (and other characters) in Futurama:
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!
Futurama co-creator David X. Cohen offered a few joking words of his own on the subject: “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!”
Meanwhile, co-creator Matt Groening added, “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!”
So, even if the details are a little fuzzy, the outcome is clear: The full original cast of Futurama will return for 20 episodes on Hulu, including John DiMaggio as Bender.
