Rick And Morty’s fans are about to enter the mad multiverse of the animated show once again, even if there isn’t yet clarity on whose voices will actually guide them along the way.
Adult Swim’s acclaimed animated series returns for its seventh season in October with 10 new episodes. The recently released trailer offers a hint at who’s replaced series co-creator and lead star Justin Roiland. Domestic violence charges were leveled against him earlier this year. The charges were later dropped, but Roiland’s other behavior at the network also came under scrutiny, and he faced sexual assault allegations earlier this month. In the midst of all of this, Adult Swim announced they severed ties with him, with a new voice actor joining the show as production on season seven continued.
Since then, there has been speculation on who will take over the roles of Rick and Morty Sanchez, the grandfather-grandson duo who spend time going on interdimensional misadventures while juggling domestic life with their family. There was speculation of AI replacing him, considering how long Adult Swim waited to reveal who the actor was. (In case you missed it, after dismissing him from Solar Opposites, Hulu replaced Roiland with British actor Dan Stevens earlier this year.)
During the San Diego Comic-Con panel in July, producer Steven Levy told the audience to expect “soundalikes,” explaining, “The characters are the same characters. No change.” Well, now you can watch and listen to the trailer to decide for yourself whether they really sound similar. For what it’s worth, Morty feels a little more familiar than Rick, at least based on the almost two-minute trailer. (Is it just me or does anyone else detect Andy Samberg’s voice in there?)
Anyway, we’re not going to find out who our new Rick and Morty really are until the October 15 premiere. It’s, apparently, a surprise. An insider source told The Hollywood Reporter, “We want the show to speak for itself. We believe in the strength of the season and our new voices and we want to preserve the viewing experience for fans.”
The Emmy-award-winning series’ synopsis for the new episodes states the possibilities are endless: “What’s up with Jerry? EVIL Summer?! And will they ever go back to high school?! Maybe not! But let’s find out! There’s probably less piss than last season. Rick and Morty, 100 years! Or at least until season 10!”
Co-created by Community’s Dan Harmon, the returning voice cast includes Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammar, and Sarah Chalke. Season seven arrives on October 15 at 11 p.m. Until then, enjoy the opening credits below.