Written By: Ken HulseySource: Variety
Okay, there is good news, and bad news. Which do you want to hear first? The good news? Okay, they are still making 26 new episodes of "Futurama". Now the bad news, the budget for the show has been cut, and the original voice actors, Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche and Tress MacNeille, have refused to sign on, due to their salaries being drastically lowered.
According to 20th Century Fox, who produces the show, contract talks have broken down between the studio and the original cast. How serious is this? Well, Fox has already begun putting out casting calls for replacement actors.
"We love the 'Futurama' voice performers and absolutely wanted to use them, but unfortunately, we could not meet their salary demands," 20th Century Fox TV said in a statement. "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 Matt and David's brilliantly subversive characters."
Is all hope lost?
Well, not necessarily, Fox made a similar move back in the 1990s when the voice actors for "The Simpsons" asked for more money.
This time, however, the situation is quite different. This time the actors weren't asking for more pay, just the same amount of pay they had received in the past, which is believed to be $75,000 per episode.
Fox, meanwhile, is trying to trim the show down for the cable market, namely Comedy Central, who is to air the program.
Other budget cuts for the new "Futurama" series include a reduction in writing staff and a quicker delivery time for episodes, which means smaller production values.
Great Zombie Jesus!
See Also: Good News Everyone! Fox And Comedy Central Order 26 New Episodes Of Futurama / Wizard World Texas Scores The Premiere Of Futurama Bender’s Game / Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs Trailer / Futurama Series 2 Action Figure Set / Futurama: The Beast With A Billion Backs
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