The future of Adult Swim’s Rick & Morty has been up in the air ever since co-creator Justin Roiland was charged with felony domestic abuse earlier this month. Lucky for us, the show itself is safe, but it will continue without Roiland’s involvement. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Adult Swim has ended its professional relationship with Roiland in light of recent events. You can read the network’s official statement below.
NBC News broke the story about Roiland’s legal troubles on January 12. The charge stems from an incident that reportedly took place between Roiland and a woman he was dating in 2020. The initial complaint was filed in May of that year, which ultimately led to Roiland’s arrest the following August. He was released on a $50,000 bond and arraigned in October 2020, when he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
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Roiland faces one count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, and/or deceit. Several other court proceedings have taken place over the last two-plus years, including a pre-trial hearing on January 12. In a previous statement, Roiland’s attorney declared that his client is innocent and that they “have every expectation that this matter is on course to be dismissed once the district attorney’s office has completed its methodical review of the evidence.” Roiland is currently scheduled to return to court on April 27.
Adult Swim launched Rick & Morty in 2013, and the show completed its sixth season in December. Roiland created the series alongside Dan Harmon, who will act as the lone showrunner from here on out. But now that he’s gone, the remaining producers will be re-casting a number of the characters he voiced on the show, including the titular protagonists: mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his perpetually-14-year-old grandson, Morty Smith. However, Roiland will always be credited as the series’ co-creator.
In spite of this news, Roiland still has an overall deal with 20th Television Animation, which produces Solar Opposites (another series he co-created) and Koala Man, on which he serves as an executive producer and does additional voiceover work. Both of those shows air on Hulu, but for now, their fate remains unclear.
How do you feel about Roiland’s dismissal from Rick & Morty? Let us know in the comment section below!
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