Image via YouTube
Last week, Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon revealed in a spicy tweet that Adult Swim hasn't ordered new episodes of its most popular show. But by Monday, we got a clearer reason why that might be."The reason we're not working on Rick and Morty right now ain't because I figured out that I don't need to impress you," Harmon said on Kevin Smith's SModcast over the weekend. "It's because of a little something called contract negotiations and it's gotten complicated this time around."In previous inter-season interviews, Harmon would say he and co-creator Justin Roiland were taking their time to ensure the show stayed up to par for its rabid fanbase. But this time around, that rhetoric seems to have been replaced by frustration at the Turner Broadcasting executives in charge of their contracts.
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The duo certainly has a lot of leverage and could always walk away from giving Adult Swim another ratings-busting season of the show. Roiland is currently pouring his voice acting talents and explosive visual imagination into virtual reality game company Squanch Games, which just announced a new title called Dr. Splorchy. Last year, Harmon executive produced a series for fledgling streaming service YouTube Red, which would likely pay top dollar for his writing skills and fanbase.Meanwhile, Adult Swim has been squeezing every last drop of Rick and Morty secret sauce into marketing for artists it represents and its new festival in LA. And we're hoping this silent Snickers branded spot isn't the last time we get to see the universe-traveling duo.Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.Tweet your Rick and Morty conspiracy theories at Beckett Mufson on Twitter.