Replacing an actor is never easy. Even when it’s done well, people are going to notice. Michael Gambon slipped seamlessly into Richard Harris’s Dumbledore role (all that face-obscuring hair must have helped).Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections put a fascinating spin on an old character. But more often, the change is jarring. The Witcher viewers aren’t exactly bating their breath for the recently announced protagonist switcheroo. So when it was confirmed yesterday that Justin Roiland would be replaced on Rick and Morty, it’s easy to understand why some of the show’s fans got twitchy.
Roiland’s departure is a significant one. As you might infer from the title, the hit Adult Swim sci-fi cartoon focuses primarily on two characters: genius scientist Rick and his nebbishy grandson Morty. Roiland voices both of them. He also served as co-creater on the series alongside Community’s Dan Harmon. Still, Roiland’s exit didn’t come as a surprise to many: earlier this month, he was charged with domestic battery and false imprisonment relating to an alleged incident in 2020. (According to court records, he pleaded not guilty to both charges in October of that year.) It never looked likely that Adult Swim would continue working with Roiland. We’ve seen similar before. When it comes to actors such as Johnny Depp (in Fantastic Beasts), or Kevin Spacey (All the Money in the World), studios and brands have proved increasingly willing to sever ties with alleged abusers – for their own PR’s sake, as much as any moral stand. The surprise, for many, is that Rick and Morty is determined to go on without him.
