'Futurama' is being revived

Billy West (Philip Fry), Katey Sagal (Turanga Leela), Tress MacNeille (Carol), Maurice LaMarche (Kif Kroke), Lauren Tom (Amy Wong) and Phil LaMarr (Hermes Conrad) are among returning cast members.

However, John DiMaggio - who voiced Bender in the show's original run - has not yet been added to the cast.

Looking forward to the new episodes, David said: "I'm thrilled to have another chance to think about the future ... or really anything other than the present."

Matt is similarly excited about the show's return.

He explained: "It's a true honour to announce the triumphant return of 'Futurama' one more time before we get cancelled abruptly again."

Marci Proietto, the head of 20th Television Animation, added: "What I love about animation is that it's possible for a successful show to take a pause and then resume years later, even on a different platform, and pick up right where it left off. 'Futurama' is one of those shows.

"The excitement about returning Matt and David's genius creation for all-new episodes has been off the charts. I'm thrilled that this incredible team will get to tell more stories, and that our Planet Express crew will have more adventures together.

"It's a win for the fans who have loved the show since the beginning, and for the ones who will now discover it for the very first time."

'Futurama' first aired on Fox from 1999 to 2003, and was revived in 2007 with four direct-to-DVD movies that subsequently aired as 30-minute episodes on Comedy Central.

The new episodes will join the 140 original episodes, with production work beginning later this month.