http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=61754
A Future For Futurama?
David X. Cohen, co-creator and executive producer of Futurama, told SCI FI Wire that work is nearly done on the fourth and final (for now) made-for-DVD movie, Into the Wild Green Yonder, and added that he's hopeful the show might still return as a weekly series, a feature film or another DVD film.
"Hope never dies on Futurama, or not anymore," Cohen said in an interview while promoting Bender's Game, the third DVD movie. "It died once, but once you introduce the idea that you can come back from the dead, then the second time you have to have a little bit of hope that you might come back to life yet again. So we do retain hope of resurrection."
As fans know, Fox canceled Futurama after several seasons on the air, but revived it as a series of DVD movies after the series' DVD sets sold well. That set the stage for the return of Fry (Billy West), Leela (Katey Sagal) and Bender (John DiMaggio). The previous films were Bender's Big Score and The Beast With a Billion Backs. Bender's Game comes out Nov. 4; Green Yonder is due next spring.
"Now, what the chances are [of another resurrection], I have no idea," Cohen said. "The hard facts would seem to support us coming back again. From what we have heard, the DVDs have sold very well, and I have heard the phrase 'greatly exceeded' 20th Century Fox's expectations. So that's got to be a good sign, you would think. We haven't heard anything, yes or no, so it's familiar territory."
Into the Wild Green Yonder was written by Ken Keeler, who scripted "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings," the final episode of the Futurama TV series. That, Cohen said, was no coincidence.
"So we have the rare luxury of a writer who's experienced with writing the last episode of Futurama writing it again," Cohen said. "So, in tone, we've gone for a similar approach, where if it is the last thing we ever do, I think we'll be quite proud of it, and it will serve us well as the last episode ever. But we leave ourselves a thin ray of hope in the story--and in real life--of returning." --Ian Spelling
