Justin Roiland’s involvement (or lack thereof) in his ongoing television projects could literally cost Hulu, Adult Swim, and HBO millions of dollars. Ouch. We don’t know much about finance, but we’re pretty sure leaving money like that on the table is a bad idea. Can anyone back us up on this one?
Amidst the allegations that have pilled up around Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, many fans have begun to wonder how the creative projects belonging to 42-year-old can continue in the first place. Frankly, we agree. How is any of this possible?
Iconic, beloved, and boundary pushing — Rick and Morty clearly couldn’t go on without Roiland. After all, the guy voices both Rick, and Morty. Losing the title characters of any series sort of doesn’t work. Right? Besides, a spin-off series titled “Summer and Squanchy” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
So, if Roiland actually ends up being ousted for real, what will happen to his other TV shows? With so many in his pocket, this is where it gets kinda complicated.
Well his most recent Hulu project, Koala Man, might actually be okay without him. It’s true Roiland voices the part of Chad Wagon, but the character seems fairly secondary, so getting rid of him isn’t a big deal. Not to mention that although Roiland serves as a producer on the series, that can easily be remedied if the show is renewed for a second season.
Things get much trickier when we start talking about Solar Opposites. Much like Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland voices one of the shows main characters, Korvo. What could be worse, Roiland is also credited as co-creator, writer, executive producer, and director. Losing Justin Roiland would probably mean losing Solar Opposites altogether, although with a massive cast of quirky characters — maybe the other creatives behind the show could simply write Korvo out of the narrative? Probably not.
The reality is, that depending on how things shake out for Justin Roiland, these companies might be forced to create some new adult animated content in an effort to save their skins. Reaching out to other storytellers may be the only options they have, especially if people choose to boycott Roiland’s work.
Only time will tell how this whole Justin Roiland situation ends, let’s just hope that when everything is finally out in the open — decisions can be made, and people can finally move forward.