Futurama is being resurrected yet again! Hulu has ordered 20 new episodes of the sci-fi animated comedy this time.
Producer David X. Cohen and creator Matt Groening have agreed to bring back the beloved animated series about a space delivery crew in the year 3000. Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman will all reprise their roles.
According to Variety, John DiMaggio, who played Bender, is no longer attached to the project. Producers are “hopeful” DiMaggio will return to the series, otherwise the role will be recast.
Hulu’s revival of Futurama is set to begin production this month, with a premiere date of 2023 planned. Matt Groening, the show’s creator, says it’s a “true honour to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get cancelled abruptly again.”
From 1999 to 2003, Fox aired Futurama. The series starred Fry, a pizza delivery boy who was cryogenically frozen and awoken in the year 3000. Following the conclusion of the series’ original run, four direct-to-DVD movies were produced and then re-aired as a new season. Futurama was then revived by Comedy Central in 2010, only to be cancelled again.
Futurama is widely regarded as one of the best adult animated sitcoms in television history, embracing both the ridiculousness and the heart of science fiction. Futurama paid homage to classic sci-fi shows of the era, particularly Star Trek, while forging its own path in the genre.
