Summary

  • New live-action art reimagines Futurama characters in a low-budget, live-action setting, including Leela covering a second eye.
  • The series' vibrant humor and creative sci-fi stories would struggle in a live-action format due to budget constraints.
  • Transitioning to a live-action series may shift focus from humor to deeper narratives instead of balancing them both, potentially altering the essence of Futurama.

Futurama art has reimagined the show as a live-action, low-budget series, revealing key characters from the sci-fi comedy now in their newfound forms. The ongoing sitcom follows its main trio of Fry, Bender, and Leela and other members of Futurama's large cast on a variety of science fiction adventures, all of which utilize its cartoon format to create various wild situations. The show's humor and story has received critical acclaim, with the series still ongoing after being revived by Hulu in 2023.

Now, mishima9505 has taken to Instagram, creating AI images of major characters in Futurama if they were in a live-action, low-budget series instead of an animated show.

The images reveal notable changes for some of the characters, including Leela covering a second eye with her hair and Bender seemingly being made out of paper mache or cardboard. The images reflect what the characters might look like in a realistic setting, making it almost uncanny to see them no longer cartoons.

Would Futurama Work As A Low-Budget, Live-Action Series?

Fry smiling and offering his arm to Leela in Futurama

The live-action art on display here reveals how much the show is still part of pop culture, with some even reimagining what the series would be like in different forms. This is partially helped by the fact that Futurama season 12 is expected later this year, with Hulu having renewed the series for new episodes set to release until 2026. With plenty of new sci-fi adventures on their way, it's hard to imagine what the show would be like if it were a low-budget, live-action series instead of a cartoon.

If Futurama were to be remade in such a different form, it may not be able to show its characters embarking on the many wild adventures they end up on throughout the series. Episodes like "Fry and the Slurm Factory" and "Murder on the Planet Express" would need copious amounts of CGI or elaborate practical sets to be brought to a real-life setting. With a lower budget, it would also mean everything from New New York City to alien characters wouldn't have as convincing designs as they do because of the animated show.

A live-action version may also have a deeper focus on the overarching story, which, while important, isn't always the primary focus of the show. Ideas like Fry and Leela's relationship and the overall worldbuilding of the future could take a precedent over giving the live-action version a unique sense of humor. While it could still work as an experimental aspect of the franchise, Futurama's strengths are often because of its medium, making it an interesting yet unrealistic way the series could expand.

New episodes of Futurama begin airing on Hulu on July 29, 2024.

Source: mishima9505/Instagram