Warner Bros. is developing a Rick and Morty feature film with Jacob Hair attached to direct, marking the animated comedy's leap to the big screen. The project remains in early stages, with plot details withheld from public view.
Dan Harmon, who co-created the Adult Swim series alongside Justin Roiland, has previously teased the concept of "a super badass" feature-length episode. Hair brings established credentials to the role, having worked within the franchise across multiple seasons. His involvement suggests the studio intends to maintain creative continuity rather than hand the property to an outside directorial voice.
The move reflects Adult Swim's calculated expansion strategy for its most profitable intellectual property. Rick and Morty commands a devoted fanbase and has generated substantial merchandising revenue since debuting in 2013. A theatrical release represents an escalation of ambition that studios increasingly pursue with successful television properties, following the template established by shows like South Park and Beavis and Butt-Head, both of which spawned theatrical films.
Animation studios have discovered that established television audiences provide built-in theatrical attendance, reducing marketing risk compared to original feature concepts. However, translating a show built for the half-hour Adult Swim format into a feature demands expanded narrative scope and theatrical pacing. The film must justify its theatrical release against streaming alternatives, a challenge that has proven uneven for animated comedies in recent years.
Harmon's stewardship of the show through six seasons suggests his fingerprints will remain visible on the feature, even with Hair directing. The collaboration between creator and director will prove essential to preserving what audiences value about the property's anarchic sensibility and character dynamics while delivering the visual spectacle audiences expect from theatrical animation.
The timing arrives as Adult Swim evaluates its content pipeline. Rick and Morty remains the network's flagship program, and a film serves dual purposes: extending the franchise's commercial reach while potentially satisfying long-form storytelling ambitions the series format cannot accommodate. Warner Bros. has not announced a release date or production timeline.