AI Reimagines Rick And Morty Characters In Live Action (And It's A Little Weird)
Artificial intelligence has a solid idea of what "Rick and Morty" characters would look like if they made the jump to live action. One of the most popular animated shows currently on the air, "Rick and Morty" continues to reinvent itself with each new season. Considering just how fantastical and otherworldly the Adult Swim series is, creating a real-life version of it would be incredibly costly. But using AI, TikToker AI Viking has imagined what the series would look like if "Rick and Morty" characters lived among us — and the results are both fascinating and weird.
@aiviking Rick and Morty characters in real life Made with Midjourney #rickandmorty #rickandmortyai #rickandmortyliveaction
In the concept, classic "Rick and Morty" characters like Summer (voiced by Spencer Grammer) and Jerry (Chris Parnell) are transported to our world and look surprisingly accurate. Summer retains her classic red hair, while Jerry still looks as confused as he does in the show. The real highlight is how some of the more alien characters are depicted. The chaotic creature Squanchy (Tom Kenny) looks like a mildly hairy Sphynx cat, which is a realistic take on the alcoholic party animal.
Birdperson (voiced by series co-creator Dan Harmon), one of the main character's closest friends, is depicted as a regular old guy in an intricate bird costume. A notable inclusion is Mr. Poopy Buttthole (Jon Allen), who has little to no human characteristics and is turned into a tall man wearing an intricate tophat.
There's already a live-action Rick and Morty ... kind of
Overall, the live-action "Rick and Morty" concept is pretty much on point, focusing on realism while maintaining unique visual quirks from the characters. It's particularly jarring to see Morty (voiced by Harry Belden), as he looks like an actual teenager instead of a middle-aged man stuck in a child's body. Rick's (Ian Cardoni) live-action self is exactly how you'd expect, though his signature spiky blue hair is replaced with a salt-and-pepper shaggy hairdo.
As great as this concept is, fans don't need artificial intelligence to get their live-action fix. In 2021, Adult Swim released promotional videos directed by Paul B. Cummings for the series, recruiting Christopher Lloyd and Jaeden Martell to appear as live-action versions of Rick and Morty. The clips are brief but have the same playful vibe and aesthetic that dominate the animated series. Lloyd was praised by fans for his turn as the mad scientist, with the actor even expressing interest in a "Back to the Future" and "Rick and Morty" crossover.
While Lloyd's "Back to the Future" character, Doc Brown, inspired Rick, fans think another actor should play the live-action Rick in a full-length film. There have been discussions about a full-length (animated) film, with the show's co-creator Dan Harmon revealing that Zack Snyder is eager to help kickstart a "Rick and Morty" movie. But as of this writing, it remains to be seen if the franchise ever moves from Adult Swim to local multiplexes — and what form it takes.