‘Rick and Morty’: 1 Harry Potter Actor Was Originally Supposed to Play Morty in the Live-Action
Adult Swim released a trailer that introduced live-action versions of the main protagonists from Rick and Morty. The clip featured Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd as Rick and It actor Jaeden Martell as Morty. However, there was another actor that was initially slated to play Morty in the live-action project.
Daniel Radcliffe was originally slated to play Morty
On Sept. 3, WarnerMedia Senior Vice President of Action and Anime Jason DeMarco took to Twitter to congratulate the cast and crew on the season finale. DeMarco wrote: “Congrats to everyone involved who pulled this off. It took a lot of work from our director Paul Cummings, his talented crew, and many of our own hard-working staff! One of my more meta ideas.”
DeMarco surprised fans when he revealed Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe was the actor he initially wanted for the role of Morty. In a follow-up tweet, he wrote: “I originally wanted Daniel Radcliffe as Morty because I know he’s a huge fan, but he (wisely) turned us down. A wise man. It was an idea that sounded good on paper but wouldn’t have worked at all.”
Ultimately, Radcliffe turned down the role, and DeMarco said he was a “wise man” for doing so. Casting the 32-year old actor probably wouldn’t have been the best decision, while considering Morty’s age in the show. The character is 14-years old in the animated series, so that the age gap would’ve been too significant. Additionally, the pairing would’ve been odd with Christopher Lloyd playing the live version of Rick.
Radcliffe has yet to respond to DeMarco’s tweets and explain why he turned down the role of Morty.
Fans think Christopher Lloyd was perfectly cast
It’s no surprise that Christopher Lloyd was cast to play Rick in the live-action. According to Decider, the drunken scientist draws inspiration from Lloyd’s character in Back to the Future – in the popular franchise, Lloyd played the mad scientist Doc Brown. Rick and Morty creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland labeled the series as a Back to the Future spoof entitled The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti. So for some fans, Lloyd was the perfect actor for the role.
The live-action Rick and Morty were absent from the Season 5 finale
On Sept. 5, Rick and Morty’s season 5 finale premiered on Adult Swim. Although the network teased the live-action characters before the season finale, many fans thought Lloyd and Martell would appear in the hour-long special. However, both actors were absent from the finale.
Since the season finale premiered on the network, the official Twitter page for Adult Swim has released additional clips with the live-action characters. On Sept. 6, Adult Swim shared a clip of the live-action Rick and Morty – in the video, Rick was yelling at Morty while he was on the floor. According to Screen Rant, the only crossover featured in the season 5 finale was the Samurai Jack crossover.
Even though the season finale was satisfying to fans, some are still asking why Lloyd and Martell were absent from the episode. It is unknown if the teaser was just a marketing ploy for the finale or there is a bigger project in the works for Lloyd. For now, fans will have to wait for further information from the network.
All seasons of Rick and Morty are streaming now on Adult Swim.
