C’mon, Adult Swim – it’s time to spill the beans! Schwifies are up in arms over the secrecy surrounding Justin Roiland’s replacement in Rick & Morty after the network ended their relationship with the co-creator due to domestic violence charges.
In fact, while some fans rejoiced over the newly announced release date for the imminent seventh season (it will premiere the first of 10 new episodes on October 15), others felt cheated by the lack of information regarding the expected changes.
Rick & Morty isn’t the only show impacted by the backlash to Roiland’s actions. Solar Opposites, co-created by Roiland and Mike McMahan, premiered its new season with two new voice actors taking over Roiland’s original characters.
In the series, Dan Stevens took over Roiland’s role as one of the main characters, Korvo. His casting was announced in June, nearly three months prior to the release of the new season and over one month before the release of the season’s trailer. So, what’s the deal with Rick & Morty?
Adult Swim teased the secret casting in their most press release, writing, “Rick and Morty are back and sounding more like themselves than ever!”while including no info about who will be voicing either character going forward. The drama! It’s thrilling!
Striking back on Reddit, one fan wrote, “Disappointed with a lack of voice reveal.” Another voiced their frustration on X (formerly known as Twitter), commenting on the date reveal, “Nah I need to hear Rick & Morty’s voice actor(s) replacements or I ain’t watching this shit.” A third said the casting information is a “need to know” ordeal.
A majority of the reception to the date announcement seems to be not excitement, but general questions about the voice actor.
In addition, fans are bouncing around a few theories, particularly since the show’s trailer will be released next week.
One fan bounced around the idea that Steven Ogg will take over the voice of Rick. Or perhaps it’ll be Zack Synder, who recently revealed himself as a Fortnite stan who does “zero builds” and uses the Mr. Meeseeks — a recurring character in the animated series — skin for his character, in his voice acting debut. Probably not, though.
Some are even hopeful that Roiland had pre-recorded for the upcoming season and won’t be replaced immediately.
While the charges against Roiland were dropped in March due to lack of evidence, by then, Adult Swim, Warner Bros. Discovery, Hulu Originals, and 20th TV Animation had already parted ways with Roiland, along with Squanch Games. Following the charges, several others came forward with allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
As for now, fans are buckling down for a major surprise whenever Adult Swims decides to drop the information – and for their sake, it better be sooner rather than later.
Rick & Morty Season 7 will premiere October 15, 2023 on Adult Swim.