Justin Roiland has officially been replaced by Dan Stevens onSolar Opposites. The season 4 trailer, released by Hulu last week, opened to show what looked like the first cold open of the season. It started out like every other episode ofSolar Opposites; Terry was excited about some fleeting fancy, and then an incident happened to set off the plot of the show. Except this time, the incident was Korvo’s voice being changed from his regular gruff tone into a posh British accent.
Dan Stevens seems an unlikely choice to replace Justin Roiland. One might think that because he sounds so different, fans might have a hard time adjusting. But not so. Fans seem overwhelmingly pleased with the new voice. And perhaps it’s because it’s so different that they love it so much.
Justin Roiland was notoriously hard to work with, and after he was charged with two felonies, he started losing work across his cartoon universe.Rick and Mortyfans still wonder what the fate of the titular characters will be, as they are also voiced by Roiland. ButSolar Oppositesjust showed the world that they could replace Roiland’s voice with an actor that sounds nothing like him, and fanswon’t even bat an eyelid.
Fans React to a New Voice Actor
Dan Stevens is known for his role in Downton Abbey, a show whose immersive drama and intense characters might represent the exact opposite kind of TV show when looking atSolar Opposites. But it’s perhaps for this reason that his integration into the show is going so smoothly.
Solar Oppositesis a traditionally fourth-wall-breaking, Sci-Fi nonsense-generating comedy whose very appeal comes from its complete absurdity. So when the voice of an angry alien who sounds like he smokes two packs a day is replaced with the smooth and eloquent pronunciations of a gentleman Brit, the sheer extremity of how different it is plays directly into the show’s humor.
Solar Oppositesdid what it was famous for doing and put a lampshade over it. When Korvo starts speaking in a different voice, the characters begin asking, “Is this how he’s going to talk now?” The show looks directly into the camera and says, “Yes, get over it.”
And the fans loved it. Almost as ifRoiland being recastwas supposed to happen all along, followers of the show got on social media and reacted with overwhelming delight. Video essays came out cheering the new season. And the reaction on Twitter was astounding. Very few people seemed disappointed with the change. Even those fans that clearly weren’t aware of Roiland’s legal troubles were still somehow overjoyed by this sudden and dramatic change.
Others that disapproved seemed not to disapprove that much. The biggest outcry may have been a question if the show would bring Roiland back now thatthe charges have been cleared. But even these comments came with some acknowledgment of how funny this new Korvo was.
Related:10 Best Rick and Morty Episodes for People New to the Show
The Biggest Challenge Replacing Justin Roiland
There’s more to replacing an actor than just audience approval. The joke used to smooth things over here is, of course, that Dan Stevens sounds different from Justin Roiland. But it’s easy to notice how both actors have entirely different styles.Solar Oppositesmight have made an excellent play, making light of how different things would be, simply because they are the first show in a line of three that will now have to replace the voice of Justin Roiland.
Related:These Are the Raunchiest Animated Movies For Adults
Rick and Mortyis everyone’s big concern. Though the shows both fall into the absurd cartoon Sci-Fi genre,Rick and Mortyhas more than twice the audience size ofSolar Opposites. Cartoon Network presidentMichael Ouweleen told the French Premierethat this transition would be somewhat akin to the changing of the guard for Bugs Bunny when legendary voice actor Mel Blanc passed away—implying that the strategy here is to find someone with as similar a voice as possible.
Dan Stevens may sound different from Justin Roiland, but he plays the cadence of his voice well. Aside from some additives from the British vocabulary, the mannerisms, pacing, and tone of Korvo’s character all seem preserved in this new voice actor. Maybe this is what Mr. Ouweleen is looking for ina new actor forRick and Morty.
But one thing about Roiland that isn’t so imitable is his constant improvisation. This is one thing Roiland brought to bothRick and MortyandSolar Oppositesthat is truly unique. The voices ofRick and Morty’s titular characters are famous for their burps and pauses, but another part of their character comes from an on-the-spot creative voice that Roiland gave both of them.
They aren’t impossible to replace. There are amateur voice actors all over TikTok auditioning for the role. But pleasing the audience ofRick and Mortymight require something more than a quick joke.
