Hulu is having great success with their Animaniacs reboot, which is generating a lot of buzz on social media. Fans are lapping up the relaunch of the classic 90s cartoon, which benefits from having the original stars reprising their iconic roles. Including Maurice LaMarche as everyone’s favorite megalomaniacal mouse, Brain.
A veteran voice actor, LaMarche is also known for his many supporting parts in Matt Groening’s sci-fi comedy Futurama. So, what are the chances of that show getting the Animaniacs treatment and also coming back for a new run? Well, the performer – who played the likes of Kif, Morbo, Lrrr, Hedonismbot, Calculon and countless more on the hit series – was asked this by SYFY WIRE and revealed that the cast and crew would all be up for it. Including Groening and co-creator David X. Cohen.
“Sure, we all talk about it. If Fox was to come up with the right offer, but I know Matt would love to do it again. David Cohen, I think, might be into it. I think semi-retirement is finally wearing on him [laughs]. He had to get back to writing on The Simpsons just to keep busy.”
As Groening’s first follow-up to The Simpsons, Futurama debuted to much fanfare on Fox back in 1999. Despite continuing acclaim, though, ratings declined to the point where it was cancelled in 2003. Comedy Central then renewed it in 2008 before the series was cancelled again in 2013. LaMarche says that it remains to be seen whether the rights holders are interested in doing more, then, but there is a history of it coming back, so there’s always the chance.
“I have to leave it up to the Powers That Be, but I know everybody’s into it, including the cast. It would be great to do it before Billy West [voice of Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, and Professor Farnsworth] turns 80. So hopefully someday there’ll be a Futurama reboot, but we’re well-practiced at the reboot thing. We got rebooted twice, so there might be less of a huzzah about it, but it’d be nice to do that again.”
Just like Phillip J. Fry himself, Futurama has emerged cryogenic suspension before, so fingers crossed it does so again. In the meantime, The Simpsons airs its thirty-second season weekly on Fox and Groening’s third show, Disenchantment, has its second run due on Netflix soon. Meanwhile, you can catch LaMarche in the 13-episode debut outing of the Animaniacs reboot on Hulu.
