'Rick and Morty' season 3 release date and plot rumors: Series unlikely to be ready in time for a December release

(Facebook/RickandMorty)"Rick and Morty" season 3 is unlikely to be aired by December.

"Rick and Morty" fans have been hoping that the animated series will return to Adult Swim before the year ends. Despite initial reports that hinted at a December airing, it now appears that fans would have to wait longer.

The buzz surrounding "Rick and Morty's" season 3's air date got louder when writer Dan Guterman tweeted that he was officially done with the show. While there was some initial confusion, it soon became apparent that he was talking about the script.

The script for season 3 being over was further confirmed by Guterman's co-writers Erica Rosbe and Sarah Carbiener in a "Chicks Who Script" broadcast. In the interview, Rosbe revealed that the script was finished four weeks ago and said she believes the animation might be done as well.

The news that the script was done had fans excited at the prospect of the series being ready for a December release. However, one Reddit user — PopDavid — has suggested otherwise.

PopDavid, who's said to be a Design Assistant on "Rick and Morty," posted that fans shouldn't expect new episodes to come anytime soon as news about the release date came from an old quote of showrunner Dan Harmon. He also lamented that "Dan and the writers keep putting out info that's not entirely accurate."

That's certainly sobering news for fans who have been looking forward to learning how Rick is faring at the Galactic Federal Prison. It might be galling for some fans to admit, but there have been hints that the series won't be ready by December.

First, there's the fact that the showrunners and Adult Swim are not giving definitive answers about "Rick and Morty" season 3's release date. As a matter of fact, details are scarce on the ground and no marketing or promotional materials have been seen. If the show is set to air next month, shouldn't the network have started promoting it by now?

Another thing that fans should consider is how difficult animating one episode of "Rick and Morty" can be. Animation is often done after the scripts have been written and the voice actors have done their part, as the show follows the retroscript method. So it's unlikely that all the animation is done just a few weeks after the writing is said to be finished.

More news and updates on "Rick and Morty" season 3 should arrive soon.

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