Justin Roiland’s A.I. Replacement in Rick and Morty Amid Allegation

Just a little over a month before the new season of Rick & Morty comes out, some fans are thinking that Justin Roiland, who was removed from the show, might be substituted with artificial intelligence (A.I.).

Roiland, who is 43 years old, provided the voices for both the mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his 14-year-old grandson Morty Smith in the popular Adult Swim series. The show first aired in 2013, and the new season is set to premiere on October 15.

In January 2023, the network ended its association with Roiland because news of his arrest in 2020 for domestic battery and false imprisonment, which had not been reported earlier, became public. However, the charges against him were dropped in March 2023 because there wasn’t enough evidence. Despite this, there’s no sign that he’s coming back to the show.

After Roiland’s arrest became public, Adult Swim quickly announced his dismissal. The characters he voiced, such as Noob Noob, Mr. Poopybutthole, and Naruto Smith, will be recast.

At San Diego Comic-Con in July, executive producer Steven Levy shared with fans that they will have ‘sound-alikes’ who will sound like the characters did when Roiland voiced them. However, there is now a growing belief on Reddit that Roiland might be substituted with artificial intelligence (A.I.).

At San Diego Comic-Con in July, Rick and Morty executive producer Steven Levy informed fans that they were nearing completion of the recasting process.

‘We are closing in on the end of our process of the recast, but I do want to say it’s gonna be great,” Executive Producer Steven Levy said. 

‘I am thoroughly impressed with everything that’s going on, including all the work on season 7. Truly, that’s the thing I don’t want to be overshadowed. The show is as good as it’s ever been,’ he added.

‘I mean the timing is perfect don’t you think? AI is becoming a reality where this could be the case,’ the Reddit poster stated, though the post was removed by moderators.

However, even though the post was removed, numerous Redditors expressed their dissatisfaction with these ideas, especially since it’s a major issue of debate in the ongoing actors and writers strikes.

‘The worst idea i have ever heard in my life,’ wrote Redditor Illvria, while jayozWAR added, ‘I’m really hoping that’s not the case.’

Both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA are pushing for regulations on the use of A.I. There are concerns that A.I. might be used to entirely replace screenwriters.

Actors are also against the use of full-body scans that studios could potentially use indefinitely, even after compensating the actor with a single, fixed payment for their likeness.

Source: Dailymail