The fall from grace has been swift for Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland after NBC News reported on Jan. 12 that he's facing felony counts of battery and false imprisonment.
Facts on Roiland's domestic violence case are scarce, since court records are reportedly being sealed pursuant to a protective order, but Roiland’s attorney T. Edward Welbourn maintained his client’s innocence in a statement, adding that he expects “this matter (…) to be dismissed.”
"We look forward to clearing Justin's name and helping him move forward as swiftly as possible,” said Welbourn in the statement.
Moving forward may be easier said than done, though. Adult Swim and Hulu have both distanced themselves from the voice actor, saying in statements this week that he will no longer be involved in the streaming companies’ shows Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites, respectively, both of which Roiland created and in which he voiced major characters.
Justice moves like molasses in a court of law, but the court of public opinion moves like a hummingbird in a microwave. However, one thing remains clear: the voices of Rick and Morty’s title characters are iconic.
So iconic that many people can do the voices.
And for those people, we have excellent news: Adult Swim is replacing Roiland.
The bad news is that while the gig is up for grabs, it’s not likely you’ll find a listing for voicing Rick Sanchez on Indeed.com. That’s why we hope the casting overlords will take notice of the following suggestions for the best actors to voice both Sanchez and his grandson, Morty.
So, Dan Harmon, here are some names for your consideration.
Patrick Warburton
You may know Patrick Warburton for voicing Kronk on The Emperor’s New Groove. You may know him for portraying Elaine’s love interest David Puddy on Seinfeld.
But you may not know that his distinctive voice has considerable range.
Consider, for a moment, his Joe Swanson character on Family Guy. Doesn’t he sound like if Kronk was angry? Imagine if you put that voice in the bodies of an alcoholic mad scientist and a hormonal 14-year-old boy.
H. Jon Benjamin
He actually goes by “Jon Benjamin,” but you may know the actor by his his professional name, first initial first. However you choose to address him, you can't deny his credentials in the world of voice acting. He voices Bob from Bob’s Burgers and Archer from Archer.
It would be a neat little feather in Benjamin's cap (which he would totally dig since he’s an amateur ornithologist) to voice yet another iconic animated titular role, or two. We know he's up to the task.
Christopher Lloyd
How much more referential could the show get? Rick and Morty are famously based on Doc and Marty from Back to the Future, so it only makes sense that Christopher Lloyd, who is cast in half of all movies ever made, should add one more credit to his IMDb page.
Wallace Shawn
Imagine Rick suddenly sounding like Rex from Toy Story. That’s the power of famed actor and playwright Wallace Shawn’s voice.
Would this undermine Rick Sanchez’s grit and aloofness? Perhaps, but imagine a Rick and Morty-esque parallel universe where both the show’s title characters are voiced by the guy who played Vizzini in The Princess Bride. It would feel like an "Interdimensional Cable" episode in its own right.
Sean Kelly
Rick and Morty fans have recently taken to social media to throw one hat in the ring over and over: that of Tiktoker Sean Kelly, who has millions of followers for his spot-on impressions of the characters. It would be great for continuity to not have to explain to viewers why both Rick and Morty sound like they're about to drop Wallace Shawn's famous line, "Inconceivable!"
Mary Steenburgen and Virginia Madsen
We know this doesn't make sense on a producer's level, but seeing as how we'll have to open ourselves up to accept the sound of new voices for two of our favorite characters, they could at least be those belonging to Mary Steenburgen and Virginia Madsen. We just like the way they sound.