Christopher Lloyd would be perfect for the role of Rick in a live-action Rick & Morty movie. Lloyd appeared in an Adult Swim promo for the series alongside Jaeden Martell as lead characters Rick Sanchez and grandson Morty Smith respectively, though these two iterations appear to be from the C-132 universe instead of the C-137 universe the prime Rick and Morty characters call home.
Rick and Morty follows the adventures of mad scientist Rick and his grandson Morty (both voiced by Roiland) as they travel the multiverses, often involving Rick’s daughter Beth (Sarah Chalke), her husband Jerry (Chris Parnell), and Morty’s sister Summer (Spencer Grammer). The over-the-top comedy sci-fi series is a bonafide hit for Adult Swim and was renewed for an unprecedented 70 episodes that will be spread out over an as-yet-undetermined number of upcoming seasons. While speculation over a live-action form of Rick and Morty has run rampant since the show’s inception, Adult Swim’s promo including Lloyd and Martell has reignited excitement at the possibilities.
Christopher Lloyd isn’t a left-field choice for Rick should such a film get made. It was, after all, Roiland’s Back to the Future parody, The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti, that inspired Rick and Morty on Adult Swim in the first place. That version of Doc Brown had the signature belch now associated with Rick, and the vulgarity of the short tonally translates to the raunchy nature of the Rick and Morty series seen today (although admittedly cruder). Lloyd, with his history playing Doc Brown and as the inspiration behind the role, seems the best suited to embody Rick in a live-action film.
Undoubtedly, Lloyd has the comedic chops to pull it off. Not only was his performance as Doc Brown in Back to the Future's trilogy generationally iconic, but the actor has had several hilarious roles over his long career. Combined with the gravitas he brings to the screen from a career spanning since 1976’s Academy Award Best Picture winner One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, globally-recognizable Lloyd playing the parodied version of his best comedic role in a live-action adaptation would be perhaps one of the greatest metafictional feats of casting ever.
With Adult Swim cementing Rick and Morty's future on its network for years to come, a live-action feature version need not compete with the animated series. In fact, as indicated by the promo featuring Lloyd and Martell, the two iterations could exist in tangent together, with a live-action feature following the adventure of the C-132 version of Rick and Morty while and the animated series continues to center around the C-137 iterations. Whether a live-action film is in the works or not, Adult Swim has certainly generated buzz leading up to the Rick and Morty season 5 finale. If this much excitement can be generated with a simple 13-second clip, imagine what a full-length feature film could do.