It has been a long wait but the new voice actors for Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith have finally been revealed! The new actors for the beloved duo have finally been announced after the premiere of Rick and Morty Season 7.
The revelation comes shortly after the premiere of Rick and Morty Season 7 Episode 1. The episode, which is titled How Poopy Got His Poop Back, introduced Ian Cardoni as Rick Sanchez and Harry Belden as Rick's grandson Morty Smith. Both actors were revealed to be newcomers who impressed showrunner Scott Marder during their auditions.
"They both came through rigorous casting calls. Ian was early on and Harry came after we exhausted every resource," Marder told The Hollywood Reporter. "We had multiple waves of narrowing people down."
Interestingly, Marder also confirmed that finding the right Rick and Morty was a difficult process. He also added that looking for Rick was the hardest to cast.
"Rick was a lot harder than I expected; everyone sounded like Macho Man Randy Savage or like a cousin of his," Marder said. "No one sounded exactly like Rick. It was tricky. People had it in splashes but once you bring them back in, they couldn’t do it conversationally, which is what we needed. It was exhaustive."
The new voice actors for Rick and Morty were previously teased in the Season 7 trailer. Although it was only a brief preview, fans were pleased with the replacements, who sounds almost exactly like Justin Roiland who recently had to face new accusations following his previous controversy.
Why Rick and Morty Fired Justin Roilland
In early 2023, Roiland faced a series of controversies and professional setbacks. Accusations of domestic violence and abuse led to his dismissal from several companies. However, these charges were later dropped due to a lack of substantial evidence. Unfortunately, in September 2023, a fresh wave of allegations emerged, this time involving claims of sexual assault.
In September, it was reported that multiple allegations of sexual assault and engaging in explicit online communication with underage girls had surfaced, some dating back to 2013. Roiland's legal representative, Andrew Brettler, responded by refuting these allegations and deeming them as "untrue and damaging."
Dan Harmon, the co-creator of Rick and Morty, publicly addressed the allegations late last month. He expressed his feelings of deep shame and heartbreak in response to the troubling accusations.
The first episode of Rick and Morty Season 7 is titled How Poopy Got His Poop Back and was directed by Lucas Gray. The second episode is titled The Jerrick Trap and is currently set to premiere on Adult Swim on October 22, 2023.
