The iconic cartoon, Futurama is making a comeback on Hulu and Disney+ with the original cast and creators.
Cast members such as Billy West, Katey Sagal, and others will reprise their roles, while Matt Groening and David X. Cohen will return to helm the revival.
Futurama is a hit animated series by the creator Matt Groening, that brought audiences The Simpsons and Disenchanted. The futuristic series had a run of 140 episodes starting in 1999 and ending with the episode “Meanwhile” in 2013. The premise of the show is that 25-year-old pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry (Billy West) accidentally falls into a cryogenic chamber, whichtransportsd him 1000 years into the future, where he teams up with the Planet Express small cargo delivery service where he ironically works as a delivery boy again. The Planet Express looks to refuel for another 20 episodes, as Hulu announced the revival yesterday.
Hulu is the third platform to house the Planet Express team, as Fox originally aired the series and Comedy Central picked it up for Seasons five through seven. This would be essentially the second revival of the hit series in its lifetime. Original cast members that voiced many of the zany characters featured on the show are slated to return, such as Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman. Notably, John DiMaggio the voice of beloved character Bender hasn’t been confirmed yet, and there has been fan backlash, but rest assured the actor rallied Twitter:
President of Originals at Hulu and ABC Entertainment, Craig Erwich said, “When presented with the opportunity to bring fans and viewers new episodes of Futurama, we couldn’t wait to dive in,” including “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,” The Hollywood Reporter reports.
Head of 20th Television Animation, Marci Proietto stated “The excitement 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,” on the Planet Express’ continued adventures.
Creator Matt Groening also weighed in with “It’s a true honour to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get cancelled abruptly again,” with David X. Cohen saying “I’m thrilled to have another chance to think about the future… or really anything other than the present,” in regard to the exciting revival.
Futurama helped trailblaze the adult animation industry when it launched back in 1999, and it looks to continue right where it left off with the Hulu and Disney+ revival. Although there is no release date as of yet, it is exciting to know the Planet Express will be making more deliveries in the near future.
