John DiMaggio would like to invite all the haters to bite his shiny metal ass. As Variety reports, the voiceover legend has officially boarded the Futurama revival headed for Hulu.
When Futurama was pulled out of the cryogenic chamber last month, fans quickly noted a missing piece: DiMaggio, a veteran of such beloved properties as Adventure Time, Gears of War, Teen Titans and more, who had voiced the character of Bender since the show’s inception. As he subsequently explained in a statement, he’d turned down an offer out of “self-respect,” adding, “Just to be clear, I don’t think only I deserve to be paid more. I think the entire cast does.”
His holdout was brief and apparently successful. In a jubilant new statement, DiMaggio wrote,
“I’M BACK, BABY! So damn grateful for the love and support of fans and colleagues alike during this whole time (especially my wife, Kate), and I cannot wait to get back to work with my ‘Futurama’ family. #Bendergate is officially over, so put it on the back of a shelf behind Xmas decorations, or maybe in that kitchen drawer with all of the other crap you put in there like old unusable crazy glue, or maybe even put it in a jar you save farts in. Whatever floats your boat, I don’t care, you get the picture. I’M BACK, BABY! BITE MY SHINY METAL ASS!”
Hulu plans to air new episodes of Futurama beginning next year. In the meantime, DiMaggio currently stars as King Zøg in Futurama-creator Matt Groening’s new animated sitcom Disenchantment, and he recently returned as Jake in Adventure Time: Distant Lands.
