John DiMaggio, the voice of the beloved robot Bender in Futurama, has hinted at why he is yet to sign up to the show's reboot.
Follow the exciting news that the hit cartoon would be getting a Hulu reboot, fans were quick to notice who was involved.
Most of the beloved series regulars were on board for the 20-episode revival that sees original creators David X. Cohen and Matt Groening team back up. However, one important person was missing from the list: DiMaggio.
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Fans know DiMaggio as the lovable robot, Bender Bending Rodríguez, who featured in pretty much every episode of the series. So, why is DiMaggio not yet on board?
Well, people have speculated it may be to do with pay and DiMaggio himself seemed to suggest this too.
Taking to Twitter to thank fans for their support and concern about their beloved Bender returning, he said: 'Thanks for the concern and the props, everyone. I really appreciate it. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted, but until then… CHEESE IT! #bendergate'.
He also retweeted an article from Entertainment Weekly that reported DiMaggio saw Hulu's initial offer for him to reprise his role as 'lowball', which seems fair given the series wouldn't really be the same without him.
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Fans were quick to react to the news on Twitter using the #bendergate.
One colleague of DiMaggio's wrote: 'I worked with @TheJohnDiMaggio several years ago on #ShadowofMordor . Great dude and funny as f*ck. Just pay the man so we can all enjoy #Futurama please. #Bender #BenderGate #MakeitRain'.
Meanwhile, another user added: 'Futurama without @TheJohnDiMaggio is insanity ! @hulu is too smart and knows we need our old friends together for the magic to work again.#bendergate'.
Others even called for a strike, with one fan commenting: 'the fact that hulu supposedly can't get John on as Bender, and that "negotiations are at a standstill" / means they don't want to pay him / im not saying the full cast should go on strike and force hulu to hire John.. but wait, that's exactly what im saying #bendergate'.
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Inciting a strike does, to be fair, seem like something Bender would do.
Well, hopefully Hulu and DiMaggio reach an agreement, because a Futurama reboot is just what we need on a hangover day.
The Futurama revival is set to hit screens in 2023.
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Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, Twitter, Hulu, Viral
Shola Lee