Futurama voice cast to keep their roles…
Seems this is still how Hollywood and FOX in particular ‘bargain’; they kill a few good shows like TSCC and then hang threats over the talent at renewal. Some things never change. Like Hollywood and Washington, D.C….well good news for the fans.
These studio execs are so clueless you never really know where they will land, which is I guess how they like it. I think it just kills off potential fans and pixxes people off…
Our post on the initial cast contract cancellation here
Remember that report that Fox had sent out a casting call to replace the voice actors in the newly resurrected Futurama episodes that will air soon on Comedy Central? Seems it was a bargaining ploy after all.
Futurama star Maurice LaMarche, who voices a number of roles on the show—I counted 126 of them on IMDB.com, including Kif Kroker—confirms that that the original cast will back when the show is resurrected in 2010.
“Officially, my deal is done,” LaMarche said Friday in an exclusive interview with SCI FI Wire. “While I can’t speak for the rest of the cast, I see no reason not to expect all the others will do the same by day’s end.” LaMarche’s comments confirm a report in the Toronto Star.
The newspaper reports that the entire voice cast has just signed a new contract with Fox after weeks of intense salary negotiations:
As late as last week, the network was threatening to replace the original voices of Matt Groening’s cult-hit cartoon, to the point of actually announcing a casting call for voice actors to replace them.
The compromise agreement, with the studio paying more and the actors accepting less, comes after the announcement of a 26-episode pick-up here by Comedy Central.
“I am extremely grateful to all the fans of Futurama who signed petitions and sent e-mails, both to Fox to profess their dedication to the original cast, and to me, personally, to express their support,” LaMarche said. “All the love has been great, and it has meant the world to me. I know how very fortunate I am to have found a career in this profession, and even more fortunate to be working with such incredibly talented people as Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. And I’m hugely grateful to 20th Century Fox TV and Comedy Central to be back working on the funniest and most original animated show in prime time! Futurama am the greetest! And me am returning for a not no good raisin!”
Futurama compilation courtesy of jodes126
Fox Execs Screw Fans Again: Entire Voice Cast of ‘Futurama’ Fired…
These people are unreal. First they kill TSCC (and kick fans in the teeth as they make the announcement), now this.The show’s fans are already pixxed, here they were ecstatic it was picked up with new episodes on ComedyCentral and now the studio fraks them. We at MiM wish them luck on their mission to teach FOX Network Executives to respect fans and talent…
From Corona Coming Attractions:
20th Century Fox Television is telling the world that when Futurama returns with a slate of all-new 26 episodes on Comedy Central next year the voice actors that gave life to the lines of Fry, Bender, Leela and the rest of the cast won’t be returning. The studio has said that it could not come to an agreement with actors Billy West, John DiMaggio, Katey Segal, Tress MacNeille and Maurice LaMarche and will be finding replacements for them.
According to an inside source that spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, the voice cast asked for a raise of at least ten times the amount that they were paid for their services during Futurama‘s original run on the Fox network. “We love the Futurama voice performers and absolutely wanted to use them, but unfortunately, we could not meet their salary demands,” Fox said in a statement released today. “While replacing these talented actors will be difficult, the show must go on. We are confident that we will find terrific new performers to give voice to [creators] Matt [Groening] and David [Cohen]’s brilliantly subversive characters.” So far a representative for the actors’ side hasn’t made an official statement… (go read the whole thing)
Best of Futurama – Philip J Fry, courtesy of 29silvia2004
Save the Futurama cast courtesy of OutaTime21x2:
Moderate in the Middle 