Posted in: Adult Swim, Opinion, Rick and Morty, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: Adult Swim, dan harmon, Justin Roiland, opinion, preview, rick and morty

Rick and Morty Updates: Justin Roiland-Free Future Better Than Ever

Despite what some may think, the Justin Roiland-free future for Adult Swim's Rick and Morty is actually looking pretty great - here's how.

Earlier this month, Rick and Morty co-executive producer Steve Levy, voice actor Spencer Grammer (Summer), and Adult Swim President Michael Ouweleen took part in the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival panel "'Rick and Morty': 10 Years of Intergalactic Adventures." But with the controversy surrounding the Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland-created series still leaving a number of unanswered questions about Roiland's future with the Emmy Award-winning, it's what Levy & Ouweleen had to share with the press that grabbed the headlines.

In March, we learned that two months after Adult Swim, Squanch Games, Disney & 20th TV Animation had cut ties with Roiland, domestic violence charges against him were dismissed "as a result of having insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt," said Kimberly Edds, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office. When the news hit, folks began to wonder if that meant Roiland would be returning. But Ouweleen confirmed that Roiland will be replaced in dubbing, with Levy adding that they're still in the recruitment process for voice actors (and we learned this week that Dan Stevens (Legion) will replace Roiland on Hulu's Solar Opposites).

"The idea is that we feel that they are the same characters. Listen: voices are obviously super important in an animated series. And, of course, none of us wanted to go through what we went through. But I've been in animation for a long time, and I know that what makes a series is its different parts coming together," Ouweleen explained. "If the voices are obviously a big part, there is also the writing of the characters, their design… I have reason to believe that the transition will go well." Levy added, "The quality of writing has never been better, and all the screenwriters have stayed. I don't think anyone will bat an eyelid hearing the new voices." To that end, casting is keeping its options open – meaning that there could be two actors voicing our leads moving forward.

And the duo had the updates to back it up, with Levy teasing that Season 7 has some "very cool things in stock," with Ouweleen adding that the new season will hit this year (and while not confirming September, Ouweleen shared that they like to keep the show's return at around the same dates every year). In addition, we learned that Season 8 is already written, some of Season 9 was drawn before the WGA/AMPTP writers' strike kicked in, and early planning was underway for Season 10. And let's not forget that Rick and Morty: The Anime is expected to hit screens soon (possibly before the seventh season?).

And yet, there are still folks out there going serious "Chicken Little," predicting the show's crash-n-burn without Roiland involved. Except, based on what we've been hearing not just recently but since everything went south earlier this year, it sounds like things couldn't be better. In a feature focusing on Roiland and the show's work environment, it was reported that Roiland had become more and more MIA heading into the third season. That same season, "Pickle Rick" (directed by Anthony Chun and written by Jessica Gao) would win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Series – followed by a win the following season with "The Vat of Acid Episode" (directed by Jacob Hair and written by Jeff Loveness & Albro Lundy). And seeing how the show has not only embraced its own canon but is also using it in some very interesting ways, the complexities of what's required of the writing have grown considerably since the first season. On the production side, serious props need to be given to folks like EP Scott Marder and others for stepping up the operations and keeping things rolling three seasons ahead.

So everyone can relax, take a deep breath & look forward to a future filled with a lot more of our dimension-hopping duo. But for those of you who are ride-or-die Roiland fans? Here's hoping you can get past it and realize that Adult Swim's Rick and Morty works because it's bigger (and better) than any single person.

Rick and Morty Fans Respond; When Justin Roiland Reviewed Impressions

In a follow-up, we take a look at what fans of Adult Swim's Rick and Morty had to say in response to our editorial, why replacing Roiland as the main voice behind our dimension-hopping duo might not be as hard as some think, and how there are a lot of folks with some serious financial interests in making sure the right people are hired for the voices. Following that, we look back to an ironic Vanity Fair video from 2022 where Roiland was offering advice to some Rick and Morty impressions.

Rick and Morty Runs the Weekend & More in Today's BCTV Daily Dispatch

Welcome back to the BCTV Daily Dispatch! Here's where we look back at what we've been doing for the past 24 hours that you might've missed or might want to check out again. We're talking about everything from news and reviews to interviews and opinion pieces- all for your television-obsessed enjoyment. Making the BCTV Daily Dispatch menu board today? Adult Swim's Rick and Morty, AMC's The Walking Dead: Dead City, AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door, Netflix's The Sandman, Lance Armstrong, Paramount+'s Frasier, Disney+'s Secret Invasion, San Diego Comic-Con 2023, FOX's Bob's Burgers, Max's Warrior, BBC's Doctor Who, and more.

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