Show co-creator and serial procrastinator Dan Harmon wasn’t lying. Less than a year since season 4 concluded, Rick And Morty season 5 is actually on schedule for its June 20th release date. In anticipation of its premiere, fans now have a brand new trailer to enjoy courtesy of Adult Swim.
What we know for sure is that the forthcoming instalment promises a borderline uncomfortable showdown between Rick and a “strange horny ocean man” (his once and eternal foe: Mr Nimbus), Rick being his own worst enemy in both a literal and metaphorical sense, militant turkeys, Morty getting more facetime with high school crush Jessica, Jerry being the tragic butt of every joke, as well as the entire family engaging in a Voltron-style battle.
“There’s an episode in season 5 where Morty has a relationship with another female character that’s not Jessica,” Harmon has previously hinted.
“It’s just a great little story and my very, very longtime friend and collaborator Rob Schrab wrote it. He’s also a very tender writer – a juvenile John Hughes. He really feels heartache on a level a man his age shouldn’t… my Emmy is going to that one.”
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Production has been so uncharacteristically far ahead of schedule, in fact, that not only have the partnership of Harmon and Justin Roiland already begun working on Rick And Morty season 6 – Rick And Morty season 7 is already being written. Which is doubly impressive considering the former is now undertaking another animated series set in mythological ancient Greece centred on a “flawed family of humans, gods, and monsters” who attempt to run one of the world’s first cities “without killing each other”; while the latter is holding strong with his own solo animated project at Hulu, Solar Opposites.
Staff writer Alex Rubens made the reveal via Twitter last month, teasing fans with details that line up with statements from individuals who definitely aren’t trying to yank our collective chains.
“Am I allowed to say we started writing Rick And Morty season 7? If not, we didn’t and I’m not,” Rubens tweets.
Dan Harmon himself has also alluded to the fact that both season 6 and season 7 was in the works during a panel session at the Adult Swim Festival last November.
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“I think we’re working on [Rick And Morty] season 7 right now, I can’t even keep track,” Harmon admitted.
“I wouldn’t know if I were spoiling season 5 or season 6.”
Responding to Alex Ruben’s revelation, one fan light-heartedly speculated that the titular Rick Sanchez dies of “multi-dimensional cancer” after episode 3, prompting the show to simply be called Morty thereafter. Rubens sarcastically – or not-so-sarcastically – replied in kind: “Jesus Christ, switch to DMs, these are enormous spoilers.”
In a more sincere exchange, Rick And Morty producer/writer Scott Marder teased some “epic canon” was on the way in season 5.
“Fans are gonna, like, get knocked over by the canon we’re about to hit them with,” says Marder.
“All the stuff we’re doing is so awesome.”
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Given the show’s only real narrative through-line involves the Intergalactic Federation, Bird Person’s resurrection as Phoenix Person, Tammy the Spy, and Evil Morty – the first two having been somewhat resolved across the last season – said canon may have something to do with regular old Morty C-137’s Machiavellian alternate. Though none of which has actually been referenced in the footage provided thus far.
In 2018, Adult Swim commissioned a total of 70 new episodes. After the conclusion of the fourth season, another 60 remains on the docket. But it certainly won’t be all we’re receiving. Late last week, the network announced a Rick And Morty spin-off series is on the way. Centred on the Vindicators – first introduced via the season 3 episode ‘Vindicators 3: The Return of Wordender’ – at this stage, it’s unclear how closely this will tie in with the main series (i.e. how much Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith we’ll actually get to see). According to Collider, it’ll feature Supernova, Vance Maximus, Alan Rails, Crocubot, as well as Noob Noob in a timeline before their season 3 appearance.
Once again, the official Rick And Morty season 5 release date is June 20th – check out the brand new trailer above and the original trailer below.
