Before returning to the futurama revival, actor John DiMaggio had a public dispute with Disney over his salary. With the series set to return next week, DiMaggio remembered the fight as a fight against Goliath.
Speak with Weekly entertainmentDiMaggio was grateful for the support of his current and former colleagues. However, the prolific voice actor said the argument itself was a big fight.
“It was like throwing stones at Goliath,” DiMaggio said. “Many of my colleagues, many of the people I have worked with in the past, many in the community have supported me. No people came to read. That made it very difficult for our poor casting director. I apologized to her but it was tough. It’s one of those things that teaches you how resilient you can be.”
DiMaggio’s involvement in the Futurama revival was in question last year. His return was prevented by personal concerns that the cast would not be adequately paid. Eventually, however, DiMaggio returned – albeit without any raise. Instead, DiMaggio said he received “respect” for defying the studio and likened the situation to him and Disney having each other in a tight spot.
“But listen, that was the best thing about this fight: I had Disney, Hulu, I was holding onto their collective testicles so tightly they couldn’t, you know, there wasn’t any place they could go,” DiMaggio said at the time. “But I had nowhere to go either, and who wants to keep them for so long?”
What do we know about the Futurama revival?
The first episode of Futurama Season 8 is scheduled to premiere Monday, July 24 on Hulu. New episodes will then be released weekly on the streaming service on Mondays. The revival features the voices of John DiMaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman.
“After a brief 10-year hiatus, Futurama has emerged triumphant from the cryotube with a full original cast and satirical spirit,” reads the new season’s synopsis. “There is something for everyone in the ten brand new episodes of the eleventh season. New viewers will have a chance to read the series, while longtime fans will discover the aftermath of decades of mysteries – including the developments in Fry and Leela’s epic love story, the mysterious contents of Nibbler’s litter box, the secret history of the evil robot Santa, and the whereabouts of Kif and Amy’s tadpoles. Meanwhile, the city is gripped by a whole new pandemic as the crew explores the future of vaccines, bitcoin, abort culture and streaming TV.”