Could Hulu's Futurama "Bendergate" contract negotiation controversy with John DiMaggio change animation for the better?

Mel Magazine

As the Futurama revival has made it clear it intends to proceed with or without DiMaggio, fans of the animated comedy are making it clear that they won't accept anybody else voicing Bender. "In another era, replacing one voice actor with another would be uncontroversial," says Miles Klee. "There’s even a joke in Futurama creator Matt Groening’s better-known cartoon, The Simpsons, about underpaying performers and swapping them out whenever it’s convenient. In 2022, however, there’s a growing sense among audiences that the work these actors do — breathing life into some of the most beloved characters on TV — has never been valued as it should. Before Hulu could take a victory lap on the acquisition, viewers had taken to social media to protest the very notion of a new Bender, with some promising to boycott unless DiMaggio got an acceptable contract for his return. DiMaggio welcomed their support on Twitter and shared statements of solidarity from others in Hollywood, including comedian and impressionist James Adomian, who said that he had dismissed an audition notice for the part. The message has been loud and clear: There is no Futurama without Bender, and Bender is DiMaggio, so the negotiations had better continue." Klee explains why Futurama fans wouldn't accept a recasting: "Bender is the glue, the X factor, a machine that can do anything but mainly indulges his many human vices. DiMaggio voices him as a sloppy, ribald, overconfident drunk, and beat out 200 or 300 other actors for the gig, he recalled in 2010. He’s quite literally one of a kind."

ALSO:

• A Futurama revival feels odd because it already had the "rare perfect ending": "The lack of (John) DiMaggio is enough of a reason to side-eye this project. But during the age of endless television, this revival feels like a B+ in-series joke," says Kayla Cobb. "We really need to ask ourselves: do we need more Futurama? Honestly, think about it. The last time Futurama was given limitless runtime and looser ratings, we got four so-so movies. All Futurama is good Futurama, but no one can claim Bender’s Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender’s Game, and Into the Wild Green Yonder were the series’ best work. Eventually, the sci-fi comedy straightened itself out with the Comedy Central revival and gave us such classics as 'The Late Phillip J. Fry' and the truly brilliant 'The Prisoner of Benda.' But the success of the Comedy Central revival has left us with a completely different problem in 2022."
• Why negotiations hit a standstill with John DiMaggio: Entertainment Weekly's Nick Romano reports that Hulu and 20th Television Animation pursued negotiations with Billy West, Katey Sagal and DiMaggio at the same time last year. "West and Sagal accepted," reports Romano. "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."