Casting Futurama In Live-Action

While Futurama’s live-action adaptation might never happen, that doesn’t mean that there are not a host of stars who are perfectly suited to bringing the show’s colorful cast to life on screen. Adapting popular cartoons into live-action shows is difficult. Moments that feel hilarious or visually striking in animated formats can look silly, cheap, or downright weird in live-action. Meanwhile, scenes that are relatively easy to animate can be almost impossible to stage in live-action. As a result, most prime-time animated sitcoms have never spawned live-action remakes. This is a shame since some have ideal live-action casts available to them.

While a live-action adaptation of The Simpsons would never work for numerous reasons, applying the same treatment to co-creator Matt Groening’s later sci-fi series Futurama might prove more fruitful. Unlike The Simpsons, Futurama takes place in a sci-fi setting that would make its strange visual palette feel less uncanny. Futurama has also already spawned numerous spinoff movies where The Simpsons only had one theatrical spinoff, meaning the show is more accustomed to broadening its horizons than its long-running predecessor. Perhaps most importantly, Futurama also has a perfect potential live-action cast.

12 Calculon

Adam Devine

Futurama’s Calculon makes Zapp Brannigan look meek and bashful, so it could potentially be tough for the series to find the right star to make this supporting character funny and not merely irritating. Calculon is an acting robot who is praised for his skills and is a big star throughout the galaxy. Naturally, this success has made him boastful, self-important, and prone to diva behavior, which makes him a standout comedic presence.

Adam Devine’s Memorable Roles:

Adam Devine has managed to make numerous self-important, clueless, and arrogant supporting characters hilarious over the years. He got his breakout role as one of the creators and stars of Workaholics, playing an obnoxious and immature officer worker. His role in The Righteous Gemstones continues to highlight how funny he is as pumped-up but ultimately unimpressive characters. Devine also has a fearless approach to his comedic roles, not afraid to make his characters look foolish which Calculon often does despite being oblivious to it.

11 Mom

Rachael Harris

Futurama’s duplicitous corporate overlord Mom is the closest thing that the series has to a main villain. Though she presents herself as the warm and down-to-earth mother to sell her brand, she is secretly a vain, abusive, and corrupt corporate villain. She is also hilariously mean-spirited towards her three dim-witted sons who also act as her hired goons, and has had a passionate affair with Professor Farnsworth in the past.

Rachael Harris’ Memorable Roles:

Luckily, Rachael Harris is a veteran of playing seemingly sweet female characters who invariably turn out to be bitter, calculating, or outright mean. From The Hangover to New Girl to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies, Harris has repeatedly proven she would be perfect for the part of Mom. While she is a lot younger than the character is in the show, it could work as an advantage. Behind closed doors, Mom is far less frail and fragile as she presents herself.

10 Scruffy

Scruffy the janitor is the lone Planet Express employee who doesn’t also act as a major Futurama cast member. However, he is always on hand to provide a punchline here and there even in Futurama’s season 11 revival. Scruffy is a man of few words, typically seen leaning against a wall and muttering some comment on the situation at hand, but rarely ever getting involved. What could make the character stand out in a live-action Futurama is having a bigger name take on the small part in a cameo.

Sam Elliott’s Memorable Roles:

Sam Elliott would make for a hilarious appearance as Scruffy, and not just because he also has an impressive mustache. The actor is known for his strong and silent roles in the likes of Tombstone, Roadhouse, and 1883. However, his role as The Stranger in The Big Lebowski is a great showcase of what he could do in such a role as a character who pops in and out of the story, but does his own thing.

9 Zapp

Sam Rockwell

While many memorable characters on Futurama have delivered big laughs over the years, Zapp Brannigan is certainly one of the fan favorites and would be essential to have as part of a live-action version. The character is a hilarious take on the classic intergalactic hero with Zapp showing all the swagger and confidence of such characters without any of the skills, intelligence, or bravery. Without the right actor in the role, Zapp could become over-the-top.

Sam Rockwell’s Memorable Roles:

Fortunately, Sam Rockwell is one of those actors who can bring a character right to the brink of being cartoonish while still ensuring they are grounded. Rockwell already played similar anti-villain roles in everything from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to Vice, while both The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Galaxy Quest proved that the actor has a knack for sci-fi comedy. He has also shown his ability to steal the show in supporting roles, such as playing Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2.

8 Kif

Justice Smith

As important as Zapp Brannigan is to include in the live-action Futurama, his right-hand man Kif always needs to be by his side. As two supporting characters in the overall series, Zapp and Kif have proven themselves a hilarious comedic duo time and time again. Kif is the much more intelligent and level-headed one, despite the fact that he is constantly degraded by Zapp. However, Kif is also anxious and frightened easily, especially with his charming romance with Amy.

Justice Smith’s Memorable Roles:

Justice Smith is an up-and-coming actor who has proven his versatility in roles like I Saw the TV Glow and All the Bright Places. However, his appearances in a number of blockbuster movies show his ability to play the necessary qualities for Kif. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves allowed Smith to play the charming and funny yet terrified hero.

7 Hermes

Brian Tyree Henry

Hermes Conrad is a standout and hilarious member of the Planet Express team. He is a man who cares about the efficiency and profitability of the business above all else, including the crew. This makes for a number of instances where he takes a hilariously callous and indifferent stance on their fates. Yet somehow, Heremes always remains a funny and lovable member of the main cast.

Brian Tyree Henry’s Memorable Roles:

Atlanta star Brian Tyree Henry has proven he has the goofy comedic timing required for the role of Hermes, despite how often he is cast in quiet, deadpan roles. Bullet Train and 2019’s Child’s Play remake both prove that his live-action actor could wring a lot of laughs out of the character without having to be goofy. Even his “tough guy” role in Atlanta shows how effective Henry is at bringing out unexpected laughs.

6 Amy

Karen Fukuhara

Amy is another character on Futurama who could have been annoying and unlikable on most shows but is another hilarious addition to the series. She is a rich and spoiled socialite who becomes part of the Planet Express family. Despite the fact that she is immature, Amy endears herself as another goofy character, developing a friendship with Leela and a romance with Kif which finally sees her standing up to her parents.

Karen Fukuhara’s Memorable Roles:

The Boys heroine Karen Fukuhara’s screen roles have mostly seen her play stern, silent, and self-serious types so far. However, her cameo in Bullet Train showed that she could also pull off a bubbly heroine like Futurama’s Amy. Fukuhara playing the part of Amy could allow the actor to explore brighter, less brutal roles in the future by introducing audiences to a new side of her.

5 Zoidberg

Walton Goggins

Futurama’s resident oddball Zoidberg is a tough character to cast in a live-action adaptation and one that audiences are likely most looking forward to seeing in live-action. The lobster-like alien serves as the doctor for the Planet Express crew, but his incompetence is only outweighed by his disastrous approach to life. Such a bizarre figure calls for an actor known for offbeat, daring comedy roles, which is where Walton Goggins comes in.

Walton Goggins’s Memorable Roles:

Although he’s taken on plenty of serious roles, Goggins impressed in everything from The Righteous Gemstones to I’m A Virgo by playing what were effectively live-action cartoon characters. He is willing to go over the top with his characterizations, making truly memorable characters that excel through his great comedic timing. He is the kind of actor who would love the challenge of playing a lobster-like alien with an obnoxious personality.

4 Farnsworth

Christopher Lloyd

When Philip J. Fry comes to the future, the one relative he is able to track down is his senile descendant Professor Farnsworth. As a typical mad scientist character, Farnsworth walks a fine line between genius and insanity, which makes for some of the biggest laughs in the show. Farnsworth is always coming up with new inventions and scientific breakthroughs, but he is also a feeble old man who is prone to falling asleep.

Christopher Lloyd’s Memorable Roles:

Screen veteran Christopher Lloyd is a perfect fit for the mad scientist Farnsworth, especially since his Back to the Future role as Doc Brown was likely an inspiration for the character. One promo for a live-action Rick and Morty already cast Lloyd as that show’s resident troubled genius, but his zany delivery and larger-than-life persona make him an even better fit for Farnsworth. Unlike the more complex Rick, Farnsworth is a purely comedic creation.

3 Leela

Kat Dennings

Leela is the female lead of Futurama and the action hero for most of the adventures. She is a tough warrior with plenty of combat skills that come in handy with all the danger they encounter. However, she is also socially awkward due to being something of an outcast from society for most of her life. However, her blunt and wry sense of humor mixed with her romance with Fry makes her one of the best characters in the series.

Kat Dennings’s Memorable Roles:

2 Broke Girls star Kat Dennings has proven throughout her career that she can balance romance with straight-talking sardonic humor. This would make her an ideal fit for the role of Leela in a live-action version of Futurama. Dennings was recently seen in Dollface and WandaVision, a pair of projects that proved she can fuse self-referential genre adventure stories with more conventional sitcom humor.

2 Fry

Rupert Grint

Fry, Futurama’s dim-witted but well-meaning hero, makes for an ideal protagonist who many actors could have a lot of fun playing. Fryu was not much of an ambitious young man when he was back in his own timeline, and 1000 years later, he is still a lazy slob who is somehow lovable. Fry is hilarious in how oblivious he is when met with every new situation, but he also makes for some of the most poignant moments of the series thanks to his big heart.

Rupert Grint’s Memorable Roles:

Former child actor Rupert Grint excels at playing clueless but lovable slackers and would be perfect for the part as a result, most famously as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies. Grint was lovable and funny as the underachieving Hogwarts student whose ambitions were never as high as his friends. Like Fry, Grint can make a character goofy yet the most relatable person in the story.

1 Bender

Jason Sudeikis

Though not the main character, it is safe to say Bender became the star of Futurama. The hard-drinking, law-breaking, and rude robot is the funniest character in a series filled with hilarious characters. His antihero attitude mixed with the humor he brings to any situation elevates the show to new levels. Despite him being a robot, whatever actor takes on the role of Bender in a live-action Futurama will have to capture the best aspects of the character.

Rupert Grint’s Memorable Roles:

Though Jason Sudeikis is best known as the kind and lovable Ted Lasso, most of his career is filled with far less amiable characters. Sudeikis excels at playing characters who are fast-talking and blunt, much like Bender. From Horrible Bosses to We’re the Millers to Hall Pass, Sudeikis seems much more comfortable playing the funny yet immoral characters, as opposed to the likes of Ted Lasso.