Salary disputes. New voice actors. I hope this is all a big show.
Same thing happens every five years with The Simpsons. They’ll work it out.
ETA: Never mind, I take it you mean contract disputes, not recasts.
No way…they did the movies but not another run of the show?
“Futurama Getting New Voice Actors” is a complete misstatement of what’s going on.
They have put out casting call to replace the regular cast, in order to force the cast to accept the lower salaries they’re offering. It’s entirely a negotiating tactic, that may bite them on the bum, but will probably end up as the regulars returning as normal.
Honestly, one reason I quit watching Futurama in its first run was that I didn’t much like the voice actors involved. I finally got used to them and learned to enjoy the series in syndication, but it was because of the show’s writing and in spite of the voice acting.
So if we get a new set of voice actors… ::shrug::
I wouldn’t care if they got 15 random people of the street to read the lines. It wouldn’t affect the jokes and story line in any way. ( I think this about live action as well.)
I think most people would be less inclined to watch something with less-talented performers.
Personally, even if they got great voice talent, I don’t think it would be watchable. Jim Henson and Mel Blanc both had the best replacements that you could possibly hope for, and it’s still too jarring.
I don’t think it’s gotten this intense every time. When they asked for their first big raise, though, it certainly did.
Meanwhile this is all bargaining. The economy’s bad and I think Futurama was rather expensive to make the first time around due to the computer animation. They’re supposed to do it cheaper this time and I’m sure that’s extended in part to the voice cast. I hope they settle it quickly and get those episodes out next year. Futurama is really an all-star cast (West, LaMarche, and MacNeille especially) and I don’t think anybody else could do it better, nevermind that I’m used to the characters sounding the way they have for the last 10 years. If you think about how many people they voice it’s probably rather cost-effective as is.
I think above all they need Billy West.
Given that he does two of the main guys (Fry, Professor) and also does one of the hardest and most original voices (Zoidberg) he is probably needed the most.
Also he does a lot of random characters as well. But come on guys, you can live off of whatever they’re offering you…seriously.
Yes, they shouldn’t get paid what their talent and experience have earned because it might mean some small inconvenience to you. :rolleyes:
The problem isn’t that they’re desparate for money – the problem is that they’re not. West is in constant demand, and most of the other voice actors already have lots of other work. Futurama is a good paying gig that is very high-profile and, to all appearances, a lot of fun, but they’ve got enough else on their plate that if they can’t come to agreement, well, that’s show biz. Fox needs to understand that they’re the ones who are going to torpedo their ability to make a lot of dough on this if they really do recast.
–Cliffy
Variety reported that the voice actors asked for $75,000 an episode. We don’t know what Fox offered, but if I understand how negotiations work, presumably it was less. 
I’m sure they can live off of less-than-$75,000 times 26 episodes, but they want something they consider fair for their skill and their stake in the show. It’s easy to bargain away somebody else’s money.
Upon a check of IMDB they don’t seem to be in all that high of a demand, or at the very least none of the principal’s have many projects right now.
I’m also not saying they shouldn’t get paid what they deserve, they are obviously good at what they do, I’m just saying that they aren’t desperate for money so why be so greedy?
Although if I could answer that I could answer Hollywood huh?
Why are they greedy, rather than Fox cheap?
At the end of the day, if Futurama takes off with anybody except the original cast on board, I’ll very very surprised and also very sad. But on what basis do you conclude the cast is greedy? Fox made money off their performances during the original run of the series, as well as from the reruns and movies, and apparently concluded the show will again make them money. Why is it greedy for them to ask for a portion of that?
Because, whilst skilful, what they do adds nearly no value. The jokes would be just as funny if I read them out.
Of course! It’s all so clear to me, now.
No value in performance at all, except to justify the existence of critics.
I don’t know why I’ve gotten so worked up about it in the past when an actor delivered a performance that I (delusional as I was) thought fell short of the mark in some way.
Hell, Keanu Reeves could deliver Bender’s lines and the joke would still be there. Naturally! That wouldn’t suck at all.
We agree perfectly then.
(Yes, as it happens my sarcasm detector is broken at the moment.)
You have got to be joking. If you really believe that, call up Fox. Tell 'em you’ll do it for just $50K an episode.
I remember that episode. I think they called it the Bus that Couldn’t Slow Down.
Voice acting is an art. It can be done badly and well. The Simpsons and Futurama are examples of great voice acting. I honestly can’t (and don’t want to) imagine anyone but John DiMaggio doing Bender, for one. He so owns that role. And I feel that way about pretty much every role on the show. I guess they could replace Scruffy without me being too upset. But the voice acting is just so expressive on this show.
One of Mel Blanc’s replacements ironically enough, is Billy West. He voiced Bugs Bunny in Space Jam, Elmer Fudd in Looney Tunes - Back In Action and has also played Bugs and other characters in various TV productions.