John DiMaggio will be returning as Bender for the Futurama reboot after all, bringing #Bendergate to a triumphant close.
The 20 episode series will arrive next year, but it originally looked like DiMaggio would be sitting it out after it was reported that talks had stalled.
"I'M BACK, BABY!" DiMaggio said in a statement. "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!"
Along with DiMaggio, the revival will feature returning voice actors Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman. With DiMaggio reprising his role, the entire original voice cast is back.
Futurama creator Matt Groening said: "From the moment John DiMaggio auditioned last century, we knew we had our Bender. So congrats to everyone at Futurama. We're all back, baby!"
"John DiMaggio may be a great robot, but he's also a great human being," added co-creator David X. Cohen, who developed the original Futurama series with Groening. "Not many people or machines can say that. For the fourth time, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thrill to be back with our entire original cast and the phenomenal animators of Rough Draft Studios!"
