Posted in: Hulu, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: bender, futurama, hulu, john dimaggio, mark hamill

Futurama: Mark Hamill Supports John DiMaggio: No "Fake Bender" Here

As most Futurama fans already know by now, Hulu, David X. Cohen & Matt Groening are bringing the series back for 20 new episodes with Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman set to return. But any excitement has been undermined by a big name missing from that list, John DiMaggio aka Bender. At the time that the news was announced, the actor was not attached to the project and it was reported that the role would be recast if DiMaggio didn't return. Well, that's not sitting well with Futurama fans at all and they're taking to social media to make sure Hulu knows that there is no show without DiMaggio voicing Bender. One Futurama fan who is throwing his support behind DiMaggio is none other than Mark Hamill aka "The Man of 1000 Voices"- but he's making it clear that "fake bender" won't be one of them. "Please be reassured that I will NOT be auditioning for the role of FAKE Bender. You are one-of-a-kind, pal!" Hamill wrote in a tweet regarding the controversy.

Here's a look at Hamill jokingly offering DiMaggio his assurance that he won't be looking to audition any time soon before also offering his support, followed by DiMaggio's response:

And here's a look back at the latest status update from DiMaggio, promising to keep the Futurama faithful posted:

"I'm thrilled to have another chance to think about the future… or really anything other than the present," said Cohen. Groening added, "It's a true honor to announce the triumphant return of 'Futurama' one more time before we get canceled abruptly again." Produced by 20th Television Animation with Rough Draft Studios, Inc. providing the animation, the series focuses on the life of Philip Fry (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 new group of friends that includes tough but lovely one-eyed alien Leela (Sagal) and walking robotic Id with one-liners, Bender.

Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, added, "When presented with the opportunity to bring fans and viewers new episodes of 'Futurama,' we couldn't wait to dive in. This iconic series helped blaze the trail for the success of adult animation since its initial launch and we look forward to Matt & David continuing to pave the way and further establishing Hulu as the premiere destination for fans of the genre." Marci Proietto, head of 20th Television Animation, concluded, "What I love about animation is that it's possible for a successful show to take a pause and then resume years later, even on a different platform, and pick up right where it left off. 'Futurama' is one of those shows. The excitement from Hulu about returning Matt and David's genius creation for all-new episodes has been off the charts. I'm thrilled that this incredible team will get to tell more stories, and that our Planet Express crew will have more adventures together. It's a win for the fans who have loved the show since the beginning, and for the ones who will now discover it for the very first time."

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