Justin Roiland’s Last Project Pre-Implosion Could Become Another Animated Comedy Series
Alleged serial sex pest and Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland may have a third hit animated sci-fi comedy series on his hands — hopefully it’ll keep them off his underaged fans.
In December 2022, Roiland’s video game studio Squanch Games released their biggest and most ambitious project to date, a comedic first-person shooter called High on Life that took the colorfully crass brand of comedy that made Rick and Morty a massive hit and incorporated it into arguably the most creatively absurd video game of the year. Despite middling reviews from critics who found the Roiland-created game’s incessant, irreverent meta-humor grating, High on Life quickly hit the top of the sales charts on both Xbox and Steam.
Then, in January 2023, Roiland’s career and reputation hit an all-time low when news that Roiland faced felony domestic abuse charges opened the floodgates on a series of allegations against the animation magnate from numerous women and girls whose stories about their interactions with Roiland ranged from harassment to grooming to sexual assault. Roiland resigned from his position at the head of Squanch Games that same month.
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Today, Roiland’s reputation hasn’t had the renaissance that he threatened it would shortly after the Orange County District Attorney dropped the domestic violence charges against him due to a lack of evidence, but his last hit project before his implosion may have an even brighter future ahead of it. Yesterday, Deadline reported that Curb Your Enthusiasm actor J.B. Smoove will produce and possibly star in an animated series adaptation of High on Life through his studio Alternate Side Productions.
Roiland’s post-scandal career is basically being directed by Robert B. Weide.
Smoove, who was one of the high-profile actors in the original High on Life voice cast that also included Jack Black, Susan Sarandon and the also-toxic Thomas Middleditch, said of the now-Roiland-less franchise, “When Squanch Games originally reached out to JB Smoove (I like to talk about myself in the third person) about voicing a character in their incredible video game High on Life, my first question was what does my character look like? They told me that I would be a fish that shoots…which makes perfect sense to me! As a vegan I feel a fish should have the right to defend itself! I mean right?!”
“And now that I’m partnered with Squanch Games and Striker Entertainment to bring the hilarious High on Life to series it feels like it was inevitable!” Smoove continued. “They invited me to join them in the gaming universe, and now I’m helping them move into the TV world! It’s a case of a game recognizing game! High on Life is wild, weird and wonderful, and the series is going to be that and more! Get ready to laugh your way through space with some unforgettable characters like myself! We are locked and loaded and ready to go!”
In the Deadline announcement, Roiland’s name is conspicuously absent from the long list of producers and creatives already attached to the High on Life series. As was the case with Rick and Morty, Roiland voiced multiple lead characters in the High on Life video game, and though the announcement made no mention of a recasting process, the TV series will presumably need soundalikes to fill the vacant voice roles.
Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden better stay close to their phones in the coming months — unless Smoove and the rest of the High on Life producers decide to pull a Solar Opposites and hire a completely unexpected A-list actor to take Roiland’s roles in a dramatically different direction. Maybe Larry David might want to play a talking gun.
