Last week Hulu announced that it would be rebooting the popular animated series Futurama but there was one noticeable absence from the cast, with John DiMaggio not returning as the voice of Bender.
DiMaggio has yet to address his casting absence in detail, but now the actor has broken his silence on the situation explaining to fans why discussions had come to a standstill.
In a statement to social media, DiMaggio shared that he’s tired of the industry taking advantage of the artist’s time and talent and sharing his desire for the whole cast to get a pay rise for the return of the series.
“Hi, I’ve been thinking about everything that’s been going on these past months and just to be clear, I don’t think that only I deserve to be paid more. I think the entire cast does. Negotiations are a natural part of working in show business. Everyone has a different strategy & different boundaries. Their ‘price.”
Some accept offers, some hold their ground. Bender is part of my soul & 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 & talent.
Look, I wish I could give you every detail so you would understand but it’s not my place.”
Via Twitter @TheJohnDiMaggio
Right now it seems that negotiations are still ongoing for DiMaggio’s return as Bender in the iconic animated series more than a decade after it left the air.
Fans have already shared their outrage at Hulu surrounding the reboot not yet having locked down DiMaggio for its return. It remains to be seen if an agreement can be reached.