{"id":18752,"date":"2026-07-27T11:24:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T06:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=18752"},"modified":"2026-07-27T11:24:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T06:24:15","slug":"dan-harmon-on-trump-influence-rick-and-morty-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=18752","title":{"rendered":"Dan Harmon on Trump Influence, Rick and Morty Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/president-curtis\/\" id=\"auto-tag_president-curtis_1\" data-tag=\"president-curtis\">President Curtis<\/a><\/em> is getting sworn into the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/rick-morty\/\" id=\"auto-tag_rick-morty_1\" data-tag=\"rick-morty\">Rick and Morty<\/a><\/em> universe. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tVeteran actor Keith David voices the titular commander in chief on <em>President Curtis<\/em>, the <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> spinoff that premiered Sunday on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/adult-swim\/\" id=\"auto-tag_adult-swim_1\" data-tag=\"adult-swim\">Adult Swim<\/a> following the season nine finale for the flagship series. Stephanie Beatriz and Jim Rash round out the cast for the new project that centers on the leader of the free world and his quirky staff as they navigate an array of unusual crises.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tDavid originated the role of President Andre Curtis during a season two episode of <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> back in 2015 and has continued to return periodically throughout the series. <em>President Curtis<\/em> co-creator James Siciliano recalls talk of a spinoff happening as a natural extension of the <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> team working on the Thanksgiving episode for season five, with Rick seeking a presidential turkey pardon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cWe started to see a more dialed-in world for Curtis there, with spider-FDR, the French assassin hidden in the Statue of Liberty \u2014 the <em>National Treasure<\/em> element of that stuff,\u201d Siciliano, a longtime member of the <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> staff, tells <em>The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>. \u201cWe could see more of an <em>X Files <\/em>world that could be built out and wouldn\u2019t necessarily be redundant with the <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> universe.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1296px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((730\/1296)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PresidentCurtis_104_01.jpg?w=1296\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"730\" width=\"1296\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\"><em>President Curtis<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Courtesy of Adult Swim<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tSiciliano and fellow <em>President Curtis<\/em> series creator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/dan-harmon\/\" id=\"auto-tag_dan-harmon_1\" data-tag=\"dan-harmon\">Dan Harmon<\/a> recall the writing team initially suggesting qualities that have cemented previous real-life U.S. presidents as particularly memorable. Harmon notes that he personally has been fascinated by Harry S. Truman, while other writers brought up Teddy Roosevelt \u2014 and, of course, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/donald-trump\/\" id=\"auto-tag_donald-trump_1\" data-tag=\"donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/barack-obama\/\" id=\"auto-tag_barack-obama_1\" data-tag=\"barack-obama\">Barack Obama<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cThe conversations about Obama and Trump were inevitable,\u201d Harmon admits. \u201cCurtis has a na\u00efvet\u00e9 that you could overlap with Trump, who is like, \u2018I\u2019m an outsider, and I consider this job simple, and I don\u2019t care about the bureaucracy of it.\u2019 On the Obama side, it\u2019s the charmer and the guy who gets organic joy in being liked \u2014 that whole rock star aspect of Obama. But mostly just more legendary aspects of presidents from the past, all Serpentor\u2019d into a test tube baby that then becomes our version of maybe Martin Sheen in <em>West Wing<\/em>, where it\u2019s our fantasy president, warts and all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tFor fans hoping to catch Rick and Morty popping up on <em>President Curtis<\/em> (mild spoilers ahead), rest assured that the adventure-seeking duo are indeed part of the pilot, although they will not appear again in the first season. Luckily, there is more <em>President Curtis<\/em> to come, as the show\u2019s team announced Saturday at San Diego <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/comic-con\/\" id=\"auto-tag_comic-con_1\" data-tag=\"comic-con\">Comic-Con<\/a> that the spinoff had scored an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/president-curtis-rick-and-morty-renewed-season-2-adult-swim-1236656115\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">early renewal for a second season<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1296px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((730\/1296)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/TCDRIAN_EC125-copy.jpg?w=1296\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"730\" width=\"1296\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\"><em>Rick and Morty<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Everett<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cIf we didn\u2019t do that, people would be waiting for it,\u201d Siciliano says of writing Rick and Morty into the <em>President Curtis <\/em>pilot. \u201cIn the first season, that\u2019s their only appearance, but that\u2019s not to say that we have anything against them appearing in the future. We really wanted to have this show just be able to get its own identity and breathe a little bit, so that people felt like it was its own show.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tHarmon concurs: \u201cIf the show has a life of its own, then we can go Dick Wolf nuts with the crossovers and have Detective Munch all over <em>SVU<\/em>. But we look forward to earning that.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"President Curtis | OFFICIAL TRAILER #2 | adult swim\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KuSbjxrKvUc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe <em>President Curtis<\/em> launch arrives just weeks after <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> landed its <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-news\/emmys-nominations-2026-nominees-list-1236641054\/\">third Emmy Award nomination<\/a> for best animated series, having won in 2018 and 2020. This year marks the show\u2019s first such nomination after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/dan-harmon-interview-rick-morty-community-krapopolis-justin-roiland-1235600699\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">turbulent stretch in recent years<\/a> that saw Justin Roiland (who co-created the series with Harmon) exit following felony domestic abuse charges that have since been dismissed. The titular <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/tv\/tv-features\/rick-and-morty-voice-actors-interview-1235651361\/\">voice roles were recast<\/a> in light of Roiland\u2019s firing, with Ian Cardoni replacing him as inventor Rick Sanchez, while Harry Belden took over as teen grandson Morty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t\u201cIt is an incredibly important nomination for us because the show has gone through transitions of such peril,\u201d Harmon candidly shares. \u201cTo me, it feels like we are an athlete back on a field after a major injury, and so it is an honor to be nominated. It is all I need. I\u2019m happy to go and watch <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/smiling-friends\/\" id=\"auto-tag_smiling-friends_1\" data-tag=\"smiling-friends\">Smiling Friends<\/a><\/em> win or whatever the case, but I\u2019m so grateful for that nomination.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1296px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((730\/1296)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PresidentCurtis_107_01.jpg?w=1296\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"\" height=\"730\" width=\"1296\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"a-font-secondary-s lrv-u-margin-r-025\"><em>President Curtis<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"a-font-accent-uppercase-xs lrv-u-color-grey-dark\">Courtesy of Adult Swim<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\t<em>President Curtis<\/em> is not the only potential opportunity for expansion for the <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> world. <em>THR <\/em>recently reported that supervising director Jacob Hair was in talks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/movies\/movie-news\/rick-and-morty-movie-warner-bros-adult-swim-1236599239\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">helm an animated feature version<\/a> of the series for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/warner-bros\/\" id=\"auto-tag_warner-bros_1\" data-tag=\"warner-bros\">Warner Bros.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAlthough the possible film does not yet have a script, Harmon notes that it does have \u201ca technically approved idea that we\u2019re dreaming away on.\u201d He was late to checking out Denis Villeneuve\u2019s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/t\/dune\/\" id=\"auto-tag_dune_1\" data-tag=\"dune\">Dune<\/a><\/em> films but reveals that they now might serve as inspiration: \u201cI just watched the <em>Dune<\/em> movies because of messing around with the <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> movie script. I was like, \u2018Oh, my God, I\u2019m so late to Dune.\u2019 It\u2019s so rad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/  a-font-body-m     \">\n\tAs for his hopes with the <em>Rick and Morty<\/em> film, Harmon adds, \u201cIt would be my goal, however self-destructive, to make it the greatest movie ever to exist. That might make it hard to write. It would probably be a sci-fi epic, transcending time and space, but not in a way that was unsatisfying. It would probably blend colors as varied in its palette as <em>Lethal Weapon 2<\/em> and <em>Dune 2: Toon<\/em>, as well as Indiana Jones and everything. One could argue that it\u2019s a concept that would be my undoing and the franchise\u2019s as well, since me having permission to think about stuff is not the recipe for success that people would think. It\u2019s more of a trailhead to hell, traditionally.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Curtis is getting sworn into the Rick and Morty universe. Veteran actor Keith David voices the titular commander in chief on President Curtis, the Rick and Morty spinoff that premiered Sunday on Adult Swim following the season nine finale for the flagship series. Stephanie Beatriz and Jim Rash round out the cast for the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PresidentCurtis_106_01.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}