The Beast with a Billion Backs

The Beast with a Billion Backs is the second of the four Direct-to-DVD films to be released in 2008. The film will be released for region 1 on 24 June, 2008 and region 2 on 30 June, 2008.

As of 8 July, 2007 the voice acting for all the films (which includes the fifth season) is finished, according to Lauren Tom. It will guest star Stephen Hawking, David Cross, Dan Castellaneta and Brittany Murphy.

According to a recent Wired article, "The Beast With a Billion Backs," can be viewed as a full-length movie about a creature that carries on a simultaneous affair with everyone in the galaxy.

The story will continue from where Bender's Big Score ended.

Plot summary
The sneak peek from the special edition of Bender's Big Score exclusive to Best Buy appears to be telling the story onward from where Bender's Big Score ends, namely the rift in time and space. What we can tell from animatic is that the rift is the gateway to another universe, and soon some huge tentacles come out and one starts controlling Fry, who becomes the leader of a new religion (notice the tentacles in the teaser image from Futurama Returns below). Bender seems to be upset about something.

Meanwhile, more stuff about Kif and Amy's relationship, Fry gets a girlfriend with four other boyfriends (at the same time) before he becomes a pope and Farnsworth and Wernstrom battle once again.

This is followed by the entire human population "dying" and going to "Heaven", and thus giving Earth to the robots, because robots don't go to Heaven.

When trying to see the rift's effect on a giant ant, the Professor accidentally focuses it on himself.

Trivia

 * The title is a reference to Shakespeare's line "I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs." in the play Othello (however, use of the phrase dates back before this usage). In "Spanish Fry", the sex shop in which Fry, Bender and Leela enter is called "The Beast with Two Bucks", which is a reference to the same line.
 * It also references, The Beast With a Million Eyes. Incidentally plot of that movie involves a huge alien mind controlling the weak minded, albiet to fuel hatred rather than coerce the world into having sex with it. The movie came out in 1955, and the box art for The Beast With a Billion Backs is modeled after 1950's horror movies involving monsters.
 * A sneak peek was included in a two disc DVD of Bender's Big Score exclusive to Best Buy.

Characters
Characters that can automatically confirmed, and characters that have been confirmed.


 * Bender
 * Zapp Brannigan
 * Colleen
 * Hermes Conrad
 * Pr. Farnsworth
 * Philip Fry


 * The Grand Midwife
 * Kif Kroker
 * Leela
 * Linda
 * Morbo
 * Richard Nixon
 * The Robot Devil
 * Yivo (the planet size tentacle alien)
 * Dr. Ogden Wernstrom
 * Amy
 * Dr. Zoidberg
 * Planet Express Ship
 * King Kong

The DVD
It has been reported that the DVD will contain (however, some of this is likely to change according to Fox):
 * The film itself
 * Commentary Track
 * Extra Episode from an XBox game - almost certainly the fmv videos from, which was also on PS2.
 * Commentary Track for the game's episode - not found on the game's disc.
 * Animatic for Beast with a Billion Backs
 * Deleted Scenes / Storyboards
 * Blooper Reel / Record Sessions
 * 3D Models / 3D Turnarounds - With Audio Description
 * Celebrity Featurette: David Cross
 * Bender or Cast Reads Credits
 * Bender sings his version of the Futurama Song (which consists solely of "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass" or "Bender is Great!")
 * New Character / Design Sketches