There have been numerous relaunch announcements of late – from a reboot for Sex and the City to the return of Gossip Girl – and now the trend is set to continue with fresh news that Futurama is getting a reboot.
The cartoon, which is created by the creators of The Simpsons, will return to screens, this time on Hulu, a decade after its Comedy Central finale.
Now fans will be treated to 20 new episodes, which will make up the show’s eighth season. Here’s everything we know about the show so far.
Remind us, what’s it about?
Futurama follows Philip J. Fry, a lazy delivery boy who gets cryogenically frozen for a thousand years. When he wakes up it’s December 31, 2999, and unsurprisingly things are little bit different. He gets a job (capitalism is still prevelant in 2999, it turns out) at an interplanetary delivery company called Planet Express, and so the adventures begin.
The story focuses on Fry, Turanga Leela (who goes by Leela), the captain of Planet Express’ delivery ship, and Bender Bending Rodriguez, aka Bender, a bad-mannered robot.
When is Futurama season 11 set for release?
The new Futurama will premiere in the US on July 24, but as of yet no UK release date has been confirmed. We’ll update when we know more.
How many episodes will there be?
There are going to be 20 episodes: less than seasons six and seven (which both had 26) but more than most of Futurama’s other series. While not much news has been released about the episode plotlines, we do currently have titles for the first ten episodes.
They are, in order: The Impossible Stream, Rage Against The Vaccine, Zapp Gets Cancelled, The Prince And The Product, Related To Items You’ve Viewed, Kip Gets Knocked Up A Notch, How The West Was 1010001, I Know What You Did Last Xmas, Parasites Regained, and All The Way Down. Totally unenlightening, then, but exciting nonetheless.
When’s it likely to pick up?
Season eight really could pick up anywhere, as the finale of series seven left things fantastically wide open: the chief executive officer of Planet Express, Professor Farnsworth, had invented a time machine of sorts, one thing lead to another, and – spoiler – everyone’s memories got swiped when the machine was set in motion.
It made for a fulfilling finish, but also means that series eight could begin anywhere and do anything – a thrilling starting point for a new season.
Is there a trailer?
Yes – we’ve popped it at the top of this page. It’s glorious stuff for Futurama fans. “The people who brought you Futurama,” teases the trailer... “Bring you more Futurama.”
The motley crew also return once more: Fry, Leela and Bender, plus Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, Dr. John A. Zoidberg, Hermes Conrad and Dr. Amy Wong. There are aliens, rockets, a Dune sandworm, and what looks like a new series full of fun.
Will John DiMaggio be returning?
Yes. For a moment it looked touch and go as to whether John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender, would be returning to the series. He was reportedly looking for a bigger payslip for his work but in the end agreed to join the series despite failing to secure a more lucrative deal.
“I didn’t get more money. But what I did get was a lot of respect, and a lot of head nods from people who are like, ‘Yo bro, I see you and thank you’,” he reportedly said to Slash Film.
According to Collider the rest of the old cast will also be returning: so look forward to having the voices of Billy West (Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, Professor Farnsworth), Katey Sagal (Leela), Lauren Tom (Amy Wong), Phil LaMarr (Hermes Conrad), Tress MacNeille (Leela’s mum, Nerdbot, Linda), and Maurice LaMarche (Calculon, Morbo, Kif) back on your screens.
