Justin Roiland’s ‘Rick & Morty’ Voice Replacement May Have Already Replaced Him on ‘Solar Opposites’

Theories are running amok in the Rick & Morty community as Adult Swim continues to keep co-creator and voice actor Justin Roiland’s replacement a secret, following his ousting due to domestic violence charges. Fans have bounced around names like Steven Ogg and Zack Synder, and other options, such as an artificial intelligence-generated voice. But there’s one idea that carries a bit more weight than others. What if Roiland’s replacement is more predictable than imagined? What if he’s been right in front of us the entire time? That’s right – what if the replacement is one of the actors who took over the disgraced creator’s role in Solar Opposites? 

Now, we aren’t theorizing that Dan Stevens, as charming as he is, will be exercising his acting chops by taking over the roles of Rick and Morty in the hit series. While he added a lovely British touch to Korvo in Solar Opposites, we’re not quite sure if he could do Rick & Morty justice.

But, what if the replacement is Canadian actor Eric Bauza, who took over the role of The Red Goobler in the space-themed show? In addition to Solar Opposites, Bauza has worked on Rick and Morty in various supporting roles, along with Inside Job and Little Demon. 

Fans tested the theory on September 8, 2023 with one tweeting a thread of “proof” that Bauza will replace Roiland. Aside from Bauza’s aforementioned acting experience, the user drew attention to an older comment from Rick & Morty executive producer Steve Levy, who compared the recasting to Bugs Bunny in an interview with the French outlet Première. “Like the new voice actors for Bugs Bunny are obviously not Mel Blanc,” Levy said.

Sharing the quote, the theorist wrote, “This one’s more of a coincidence, but the producer for the show compares hiring a new Rick and Morty voice to Bugs Bunny and, well… the new voice of Bugs Bunny is none other than Bauza.”

After a little digging, something else caught our eye. On September 8, 2023, Bauza was listed on the Rick & Morty Wikipedia page as the voice for Morty with a disclaimer stating that Roiland had voiced the character for the first six seasons. Roiland is still listed as the voice for Rick. While any user can edit Wikipedia pages, the changes are typically reviewed by another person before going live on the website. There have been instances where both Wikipedia and Google pages for television shows have been edited with accurate casting and release date information prior to the public release of the information. 

Decider reached out to Adult Swim for comment and they replied, “[A] new voice hasn’t been announced.”

Of course, this is entirely speculation and should be taken with a grain of salt – and it also serves as a worthwhile reminder that not everything you read on Wikipedia is true. Bauza could be taking over the role; or he could not be. It’s up to Adult Swim to decide when to share that information with us. 

While charges against Roiland were dropped in March due to lack of evidence, employees and young fans continue to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and assault. On September 13, 2023, an NBC report detailed accusations against Roiland, accusing him of grooming, sexual assault, and pursuing minors. Roiland’s representation denied the accusations.

Rick & Morty Season 7 premieres October 15, 2023 on Adult Swim.