Adult Swim Drops Justin Roiland, Recasting Rick and Morty [updated]

Ever since the #metoo movement kicked off, many powerful men in the entertainment world have been exposed for their behaviour. The animation industry has unfortunately not been immune from this, with major figures such as Pixar's John Lasseter and The Loud House creator Chris Savino facing allegations of serious misconduct.

The latest to face consequences is Rick and Morty co-creator, executive producer and star Justin Roiland. Roiland is being charged with domestic battery and false imprisonment. He denies all charges but if convicted he could face up to seven years behind bars and a hefty fine.

Ever since the news broke there has been pressure on Adult Swim to act. On Tuesday the network issued a statement via social media to confirm that they would be dropping the star.

Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland.

Rick and Morty Will Continue.

The Talented and Dedicated Crew are hard at work on Season 7

What does this mean for the future of the show? Roiland is a big part of the show so this is a major shake-up.  Not only did he play a big part in creating the show but he also voices the titular twosome so the roles will have to be recast. Will they find someone who can do an accurate impression of Roiland or will they take another approach? It'll probably be a while before we find out. No release date has been announced for season seven, but this could see it delayed.

Roiland and co-creator Dan Harmon signed an unprecedented deal with Adult Swim back in 2018 to produce 70 episodes of the show through to season 10. Roiland and Harmon also signed an overall deal with the network so this is presumably the end of that, too- although they may continue to work with Harmon.

Hulu and 20th Television Animation also announced that he would be removed from his roles in Solar Opposites and Koala Man.

Roiland has also resigned as CEO of his video game company Squanch Games.

*Updated on January 26*