A huge hit for fans of the hit anarcho animated series and Adult Swim’s flagship show: The broadcaster has parted ways with Justin Roiland – the main spokesperson for “Rick and Morty“. Serious allegations of domestic violence have been leveled against the show’s co-creator, who voiced the eccentric Rick, his grandson Morty, and many other supporting characters. Adult Swim has come together in one pronunciation responded to the dismissal, stating:
“Adult Swim has ended its partnership with Justin Roiland. Rick and Morty continues. The talented and passionate crew is hard at work on Season 7.”
What happened?
The broadcaster’s decision does not come as a complete surprise, because as early as January 12, 2023, there were the first reports that the voice actor would be charged with serious domestic violence. exclusively reported that Roiland will face court soon after an assault and false imprisonment charge was filed against him in May 2020. This advertisement was placed by a woman with whom Roiland is said to have had a relationship at the time.
Roiland was arrested on the charges in 2020, but was released on $50,000 bail.
What’s next for Rick and Morty?
Despite the serious accusations, “Rick And Morty” still continues, as work on the 7th season of the cult animated series is already underway. Marie Moore, senior vice president of communications at Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of Adult Swim, already announcedthat Justin Roiland will be replaced – so they are already looking for new voice actors for the main characters.
However, it will not be easy for the series, because ‘Rick And Morty’ is inextricably linked to the voice actorAfter all, he not only lent his voice to the two main characters and a large number of secondary characters, but also co-created the series with “Community” creator Dan Harmon and has acted as showrunner of the hit show ever since.
The humor of “Rick And Morty” in particular lives to a large extent on the narrator’s vocal qualities – the question remains whether the series can compensate for the lack of Roiland – precisely because the series has already been extended prematurely to a total of 10 (!) seasons.
Other studios are also drawing the consequences
In addition to Adult Swim, other companies are also drawing consequences from the accusations. Squanch Games, the video game company co-founded by Roiland, also announced the resignation of Justin Roiland on Twitter. For example, Squanch Games teamed up with Roiland to release the quirky shooter High on Life, in which the narrator dubbed many of the characters, as well as the hero’s chatty weapon.
It is not yet known how Roiland’s other projects will continue. Similar to “Rick And Morty”, for example, Roiland is similarly closely associated with the sci-fi animated series “Solar Opposites”. The series, for which Roiland was largely responsible for the design and direction, is reminiscent of “Rick And Morty” with its anarchic humor – a fact that is further reinforced by the fact that the artist lends his voice to many of the characters here too .