‘We felt like it would come across like we were doing a cover song’: ‘Solar Opposites’ producer opens up on Korvo recast

Solar Opposites producer Sydney Ryan has opened up about the recasting of Korvo following the removal of the character’s previous voice actor Justin Roiland after season three. Roiland, who co-created both Solar Opposites and fellow animation Rick and Morty, was dismissed from the Hulu animation amid his domestic battery legal case and was replaced in the voice booth by Beauty and the Beast and Legion actor Dan Stevens.

Unlike Rick and Morty, which will proceed with voice actors who sound similar to Roiland, Solar Opposites recast Korvo with a completely new accent, which fans first noticed during the show’s season-four premiere. Now, Ryan has explained why showrunners decided to change the voice of the Solar Opposites patriarch, telling ComicBook.com that the decision would make sense within the show’s universe.

Revealing that Korvo’s voice change would come courtesy of the show’s ray guns, Ryan said, “It would be funny to use this in-show method to explain the voice change.” The producer, who also worked on The Simpsons, said Korvo’s new accent wouldn’t require too much of an imaginative leap for audiences since “Solar is a show where wild stuff can happen.”

Ryan went on to explain that the recast prevented Korvo’s re-casted voice from sounding “like a cover song” and said Stevens’ take on the character still “preserve[s] the humor and emotional aspects that we’ve built for Korvo over the years.” In terms of the accent switch, Ryan said that plans for Steven to use an American accent were ultimately dropped since the outlandish jump between sounds was “so funny.”

While the comments put to bed much of the chatter around Roiland’s role in Solar Opposites, details about who will step in for Rick and Morty remain scarce. Earlier this year, Executive Producer Steven Levy confirmed that Roiland — who voiced both title characters and numerous others — would be replaced by “sound-alikes,” but did not reveal who exactly would take on the roles.

Fan speculation that voice actor and impressionist Sean Dorrough was recast for Rick and Morty remains unconfirmed. The charges against Roiland were dismissed in March, with the producer later revealing in a statement that he is “focus[ed] both on my creative projects and restoring my good name.”