Rick And Morty recasts lead roles after firing Justin Roiland

Justin Roiland, co-creator of the sci-fi show Rick and Morty and voice of its two titular characters, has parted ways with Adult Swim as a result of the domestic violence accusations against him.

In 2020, Roiland was charged with one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit in Orange County, California. He pleaded not guilty to these charges, however in the summer of that year, a protective order was filed against Roiland with terms that he will not harass, threaten or surveil the person who is mentioned within the protective order. Moreover, he must remain 100-feet away from this specified person and surrendered his firearms, and the order expires in October, 2023.

These events have shocked the Rick and Morty fanbase, and Adult Swim confirmed that co-creator Dan Harmon will be the sole showrunner, though credits to Roiland will still be visible on the sitcom (per The Hollywood Reporter). That being said, the roles of Rick and Morty will be recast and it is currently unknown what will happen to the remainder of Roiland's projects with Hulu and 20th Century Television. “Adult Swim has ended its association with Justin Roiland,” read a post from the official Rick and Morty Twitter account. “Rick and Morty will continue. The talented and dedicated crew are hard at work on Season 7.” There will be 10 seasons in total.

“To be clear, not only is Justin innocent but we also 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,” said attorney T. Edward Welbourn in defence of Roiland in a statement from earlier this month.