Hit show Rick and Morty season 7 brings back the same wild humor, strange worlds and sci-fi craziness that's defined this popular animated classic, but there are also some big new changes for this septennial season too.
The biggest is in the first word of the title: 'Rick', because the elderly genius inventor has been recast. While show co-creator Justin Roiland previously voiced the character (as well as Morty, and plenty of the supporting cast), the show is welcoming in a new face (well, voice) for this newest batch of episodes.
Now voicing the character is Ian Cardoni. So who is Cardoni, and how did he get the role of Rick?
Who is Ian Cardoni?
Ian Cardoni is a Bostonian actor, who's mostly worked in voice acting.
Aside from a few appearances in short films, Cardoni is probably most-heard for doing narration work at several WrestleMania events.
How did Cardoni get the voice of Rick?
The search for new voice actors involved thousands of candidates, but according to showrunner Scott Marder, "Ian was one of the first people I heard when the search began".
In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Marder described how the Bostonian had "major flashes of Rick". He also described the full casting process, which involved multiple rounds to "see what they could do on their feet" instead of simply providing impressions. They also tested the actors' stamina, to see if they could remain in voice for long recording sessions.
In the same interview, Rick and Morty's other co-creator Dan Harmon revealed why he made the final decision to pick both Cardoni and the new Morty voice actor, Harry Belden. Simply, "they sounded the most like the characters"
Will Ian Cardoni voice other roles in Rick and Morty?
The first seasons of Rick and Morty had a very limited cast, with Justin Roiland voicing a large number of the characters. However that's changing with season 7, and Ian Cardoni won't be voicing many extras.
As previously mentioned Morty is no longer being voiced by the same actor as Rick, and some of the supporting cast are getting separate actors too. Marder stated that "we are happy for them to take on more of these smaller characters", but some have been recast to take pressure off the new voice actors.
You can hear Ian Cardoni voice Rick now and we've got a guide on how to watch Rick and Morty season 7 here.
