Prolific voice actor Mark Hamill has confirmed that he will not audition for the role of Bender in the new version of Futurama in light of news that original star John DiMaggio may not return.
Hamill said on Twitter, “Please be reassured that I will NOT be auditioning for the role of FAKE Bender.” He said to DiMaggio, “You are one-of-a-kind, pal!”
When the Futurama revival was announced earlier this week for Hulu, DiMaggio’s name was not part of the cast. Reports have suggested he is holding out for better pay and that the role might be recast.
While DiMaggio might not be a lock to return just yet, the rest of the main cast are confirmed to be returning, including Billy West as Fry, Katey Sagal as Leela, Lauren Tom as Amy, and Phil LaMarr as Hermes. Series creator Matt Groening and writer David X. Cohen are returning as well.
Futurama earned six Emmy Awards–including two Outstanding Animated Program, seven Annie Awards, two Environmental Media Awards and two Writer’s Guild of America Awards.
Outside of the Futurama franchise, DiMaggio is known for voicing Marcus Fenix in Gears of War and Jake on Adventure Time. The new version of Futurama is in the works for Hulu but a release date hasn’t been announced yet.
