Gaming —

Matt Groening’s first Netflix series will go all Futurama on Game of Thrones

Disenchantment series will bring back tons of Futurama voice actors, staffers in 2018.

Seems like the most appropriate use of this modified meme ever.
Seems like the most appropriate use of this modified meme ever.

We don't often get buzzy about a new Netflix series announcement, especially one without any teaser footage, but Tuesday's Netflix news shook up the perfect jar of nerd bees.

Simpsons/Futurama co-creator Matt Groening is the latest showrunner to join the online streaming platform, and he's bringing a substantial number of Futurama staffers and voice actors to a new project: Disenchantment, set to premiere in "2018." From what we're hearing, this will put the Groening-series spin on fantasy series like Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings—meaning, equal parts mockery and reverence. Twenty episodes have been ordered, and they will premiere in 10-episode chunks.

A ton of Futurama voice actors are participating, including Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, and Tress MacNeille. The show as announced will revolve around a "hard-drinking young princess" named Bean, voiced by Broad City star Abbi Jacobson, and her primary companions will include a personal demon voiced by Adult Swim super-weirdo Eric Andre and an elf voiced by comedian Nat Faxon. Longtime Simpsons showrunner Josh Weinstein will join Groening as an executive producer, while Futurama animation company Rough Draft Studios is currently working on the new series. (That series' final episode aired on Comedy Central in 2013.)

The 2018 timeline sounds about right, considering Deadline had the scoop on some sort of Groening-related deal back in January 2016. (Traditionally animated series usually take about two years to gestate.) That gives us about half a year to wonder how blue Groening and co. will go with fewer network censors. We've also already started imagining which playful voice cameos we might expect from major fantasy series actors. (I'm gonna go ahead and place a safe bet on Lucy Lawless showing up.)

Channel Ars Technica