Rick and Morty season 5 is taking its time to get here, but we know it'll be worth the wait. Things have been eerily quiet on the TV show's development recently, but we know that future instalments are coming, with the show's writers confirming they have enough material for more seasons yet.
It's been 10 months now since Rick and Morty season 4's finale aired, though. There's only so many times we can watch re-runs of previous seasons, so we're hoping that there may be a big update on season 5 in the not too distant future.
For now, all we can do is catch you up on what we do know about Rick and Morty season 5, as well as speculate on other elements. This hub will bring you more information on its potential release date, new and returning cast members, the plot and more.
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Rick and Morty season 5 release date: when will it launch?
Right now, we still don't know. We still hope that Rick and Morty season 5 will arrive sometime in 2021. That's a possibility and, if it does arrive this year, it won't be the longest we've waited for a new season (that award goes to seasons 3 and 4 after near two-year waits).
Should season 5 launch in 2021, it's likely to be later this year. During SXSW's Animating From Home panel in March, co-creator Dan Harmon revealed that work was still ongoing for season 5. “A week from now, the season seven writers room starts while we continue to work on season 5 episodes,” Harmon explained, so it sounds as if it'll be some time yet before we get a trailer and an official release date.
Back in May 2020, co-creator Justin Roiland spoke to Slash Film and said that while "season 5 is mostly in the can, it’s largely dependent on how quick the episodes can get produced."
The Covid-19 pandemic is almost certain to have played a huge role in the slowdown in production. The show's entire crew will have had to work remotely over the past 12 months, and there will have been issues with workflow and the production pipeline with many animators, artists, and other individuals likely experiencing teething problems with working from home.
Roiland also floated the idea of a monthly release schedule for season 5 to Slash Film, although that's evidently up to Adult Swim. "I believe if they [Adult Swim] have the full ten episodes, they’ll release them without a split," he said. “I’ve been saying we should drop an episode each month, just make it a big event [...] If you do one a month, the show is alive the whole year and you’re still buying us all the time we need to make them as good as they need to be."
Rick and Morty season 5 trailer: watch the early footage
While we still don't have a full Rick and Morty season 5 trailer yet, we do have some early animatics – alongside a new short, Rick and Morty vs. Genocider – courtesy of Adult Swim's virtual Comic-Con@Home panel.
The clip shows the two protagonists hurtling towards a planet in a ruined ship, at which point Morty decides to call Jessica to confess his feelings. Despite how these things usually go she actually tells him she feels the same, so he decided he'd really rather not die. Unfortunately, the planet they crash on seems rather unpleasant, and the Aquaman-style Mr Nimbus, rises from the water as one of the most unfortunate welcoming parties yet.
It's still early, roughly-drawn, and without full color, sound effects, and animation, but it's always nice to get a taste of the future of Rick and Morty.
Rick and Morty season 5 cast: will Kanye appear this time?
While there's no season 5 cast list confirmed yet, we can expect Spencer Grammer (Summer) and Sarah Chalke (Beth) to return alongside Roiland (Rick and Morty). We also know that Chris Parnell (Jerry) is all-but-officially in, after revealing to IGN "I've upgraded my home setup – even though it doesn't look like it – so I can actually record proper sessions from home."
In terms of direction, will this be the season in which Kanye West gets an episode? It was confirmed that he'd be offered this chance in 2019, but so far schedules between the rapper and the Rick and Morty creators have not synced. "We f**king love Kanye, man," Roiland told a photographer at the WarnerMedia upfronts last year. "He's a kindred spirit."
Rick and Morty season 5 story: expect new worlds and adventures
One of the mysteries we know we'll see develop at some point is Clone Beth, as we don't know whether the sister we've known since the beginning is truly 'ours'. Speaking to ComicBook.com, Harmon said, "She’s Schrodinger’s Beth right now. The fact she may or may not be a clone is actually the important thing. It’s the profound revelation about Rick’s commitment to non-commitment and how abusive that can be as a parent."
We don't know much about Rick and Morty's future escapades, but at least Roiland aims to always keep the show fresh, and not cover old ground. To EW, Roiland said, "One philosophy we tend to adopt is to keep moving forward with new ideas, new worlds, and not look back as often as other shows might, just in fear of that coming off as disingenuous fan service."
That said, we do know from the early footage that Morty's 'will-they-won't-they' flirtation with Jessica will continue, as Jessica invites Morty round to her house to watch a movie as he and Rick plummets to the ocean of an alien planet. However, Harmon has also teased at a virtual PaleyFest NY 2020 panel that "There's an episode in season five where Morty has a relationship with another female character that's not Jessica."
We also know that we'll meet Rick's long-forgotten, and decidedly unimpressive, nemesis Mr Nimbus. Seemingly voiced by Arrested Development's David Cross, this may be the next cameo coming to the comedy cartoon.
Rick and Morty season 5: What about future seasons?
Away from season 5, we know that future seasons are also set to arrive. At a virtual Paleyfest NY 2020 panel (via Syfy Wire), Dan Harmon said scripting is going so well that they were almost done with writing season 6 at the time. "We are very late writing season 6," he said. "I'm looking at finales for both seasons and then also refining the finale of one and then the premiere of the other."
As we stated above, Harmon also told SXSW's Animating From Home panel that work on season 7 had begun. Given that his comments came on March 22, and that Harmon said work would begin a week after that date, season 7 production should have started by now.
That means that we may not have to wait as long between seasons as we have done up to this point. Like season 4, season 3 was delayed, but that log wait was due to protracted contract negotiations between Roiland, Harmon and Adult Swim. However, the pair's new contract struck in 2018 with the cable network, including at least 70 more episodes of the show, has given them the security to produce episodes better and faster.
It also seems likely the show will go on after season 10. Harmon told EW, "Sure I’ll end it! But I don’t know that would be on 70. I would be equally unsurprised if you told me that this thing goes for 20 years. I wouldn’t balk at that at all. If it still feels right, let’s do it."
Roiland agreed: "We have characters that don’t really age, it’s very Simpsons-esque. There’s so much we can do to keep riding this train."
No doubt hardcore fans are happy to watch this adult animated comedy for many years to come.
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