Pay dispute deadlock

The entire cast of Futurama might be replaced in a bitter dispute over pay.

Another 26 episodes of the animated comedy are in the works, but salary talks have broken down between makers 20th Century Fox TV and stars including Billy West, Katey Sagal, and Tress MacNeille.

The studio announced last month that Comedy Central would air the shows from next year – but budgets have been slashed as the programme moved from network to cable; and the cast are unhappy with the new deals they have been offered.

Facing a deadlock, Fox has put out a casting call to find replacement actors – although the move could simply be a tough negotiating tactic. The studio previously made a similar move against The Simpsons cast, but a deal was eventually struck and no new actors were brought in.

According to Hollywood trade magazine Variety, the actors were asking for around $75,000 per episode, but it was not clear what the studio was offering

A spokesman said: ‘We love the Futurama voice performers and absolutely wanted to use them, but unfortunately, we could not meet their salary demands. ‘While replacing these talented actors will be difficult, the show must go on.'

Published: 19 Jul 2009