Adult Swim has announced that they are developing four different digital short spin-offs based on some of their most popular shows. One of these series', The Vindicators, is a spin-off of Adult Swim's extremely popular existential Back to the Future parody Rick and Morty.
The Vindicators series will focus on the titular superhero team who made their first appearance in the third season of Rick and Morty. The spin-off will be executive produced by Dan Harmon, Erica Rosbe, Sarah Carbiener, and Justin Roiland.
One of the other three spin-offs announced is Alabama Jackson, a Robot Chicken spin-off starring Donald Faison as a "smooth-talking time traveler" who frequently finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also on the slate is Aquadonk Side Pieces, a long-awaited continuation of Aqua Teen Hungar Force, which focuses on various side characters and villains introduced in the original series. Lastly, Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell: The Animated Series will serve as an animated fifth season of the Emmy-nominated live-action workplace comedy about a demon named Gary who tries to climb the corporate ladder in the underworld.
Each spin-off is set to consist of between eight and 10 episodes, all of which will be available across global digital platforms. Regarding the news, President of Adult Swim Michael Ouweleen said, “These shorts are a way to meet the next generation of Adult Swim fans where they are while giving our creators another format to play in and innovate around.” There is currently no word on the exact release dates for any of these projects, as they are still in early development, but Aquadonk Side Pieces is likely to premiere later this year.
The Vindicators were first introduced in the season three episode of Rick and Morty, titled Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender, as a superhero team who enlist the help of Rick and Morty to defeat their archnemesis, Worldender. However, the always unpleasant mad scientist Rick Sanchez is less than willing to play nice, constantly mocking and ridiculing the team. Interestingly, the entire team is actually killed in this episode as a result of Rick's meddling and they have not appeared in any other episodes of Rick and Morty.
So, perhaps the series will be a prequel or set in one of the many alternate universes that exist in Rick and Morty. Either way, it appears even Rick and Morty can't escape studios' constant need to expand the worlds of their properties as digital platforms continue to grow and, consequently, require more and more content to satisfy fans. Of course, with Harmon on board as an executive producer, Rick and Morty fans can probably count on The Vindicators being a worthy entry in the franchise.
Rick and Morty season 5 premieres on June 20th, 2021, on Adult Swim.
Source: WarnerMedia