AI Reimagines Rick And Morty As A Live-Action 1950s Series & It's Perfect
Television Cartoon Shows
The great thing about the multiverse is that literally anything is possible. "Rick and Morty" may usually focus on one singular titular duo, but there have been deviations that have experimented with other animation styles, such as the time when "Rick and Morty" became an anime. One can't help but wonder what the show would be like if it was in live-action, so YouTuber @demonflyingfox has used AI to see what that would be like, while giving it a retro-futuristic vibe.
The one-minute clip shows what the show would be like had it been made in the 1950s, and the attention to detail is fairly impressive. It almost looks like an old episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series," particularly when it comes to portraying Birdperson as just a guy in a bird costume. Of course, not all of the wild characters are transposed that well into this new setting and tone. Mr. Meeseeks is pure nightmare fuel with demented smiles thanks to the AI's confusion as to where the human being would end and the costume would begin.
The Smith family all look pretty good, with Joe Lo Truglio being cast to play a live-action Jerry. It also makes for an intriguing thought experiment to ponder what some of "Rick and Morty's" best supporting characters would look like with a limited '50s budget. The musically-inclined Fart is pretty good as a big cotton candy monstrosity with orbs adorning its body. Of course, while it's kind of neat, the trailer makes one wonder what a genuine live-action "Rick and Morty" would look like with actual artists working on it.
A live-action Rick and Morty has been toyed around with before
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A live-action "Rick and Morty," regardless of whether it's set in the 1950s, remains an intriguing prospect, even if it's also an unlikely one. The animated series deals with all kinds of strange alien worlds and high-concept scientific gadgets. Crafting a proper live-action adaptation would likely cost a ton of money in order to ensure it looked good, but that hasn't stopped some people from trying to make it a reality.
Fans did get to see Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith in the flesh thanks to a series of three short clips starring Christopher Lloyd as Rick and Jaeden Martell as Morty. Lloyd's inclusion is particularly fantastic since he played Doc Brown in "Back to the Future," which was a major inspiration for "Rick and Morty." That's not the only time the characters have made the leap to a new medium. Another example is a fan film directed by Chris .R. Notarile that sees Rick and Morty kidnap Ronald McDonald in an adventure that somehow only gets stranger from there.
While these are all fun to watch, it does beg the question if the mainline series will ever have a live-action episode or feature film. "Rick and Morty" co-creator Dan Harmon didn't really bring it up while discussing the prospect of a movie to The Hollywood Reporter. He only said this about a potential film: "My philosophy would be to just take a Rick and Morty adventure, and spend a bunch of extra money on it and make it 90 minutes long." Honestly, that sounds perfectly fine. Animation is probably the best medium for the series and its characters, as it allows the creatives to more easily go in whatever bizarre direction they want ... especially if it involves a giant screaming sun.