Voice actor John DiMaggio has announced that he is not going to be returning to play his most iconic character in his repertoire, namely Bender from Futurama.

It was announced the show would be coming back in a revival of the series which would stream on Hulu, though due to pay disputes DiMaggio put his foot down about not returning after feeling the offer, which was similar to co-stars Billy West and Katie Sagal, was not competitive enough given the massive success of the property he had a part in. He made a statement on Twitter Tuesday stating his reason for the departure,

"Bender is part of my soul and nothing about this is supposed 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 and talent."

He continued,

"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 and different boundaries. Their 'price'. Some accept offers, some hold their ground."

It was reported earlier this week that the role would be recast, though possible candidates have not been specified.

 

The real issue at the end of the day is what do the fans want? What is the point of bringing back a beloved property if the corporate end is going to half-ass the end product? They buy the rights to these shows for a reason, these are commodities which worked in the past but the higher-ups don't take into consideration the heart of what made them so beloved in the first place.

With our constant need for content, being run by committee instead of creatives is why things like Star Wars don't always go over well with fans, and when they fail to meet expectations we are left with a once great show or film, now tarnished by the bottom line.

Hopefully, the fan outrage will be enough to solve this dilemma.

Tags: John DiMaggio Futurama Hulu