We’re pretty sure that nobody, in the history of watching TV, has ever gone “Ugh, more Keith David?” As he’s floated through shows like Future Man, Community, Duster, Gargoyles (honestly, take your pick, there are dozens more readily available examples to choose from), David has consistently brought a mixture of warmth, humor, and gravitas to parts both big and small. Now he’s getting a rare leading role, as Adult Swim announced at Comic-Con this afternoon that it’s launching a new Rick And Morty spin-off series, President Curtis, centered on David’s recurring POTUS/semi-antagonist.
David was on hand at Rick And Morty’s panel at the Con today to make the announcement, surprising the audience with his sudden appearance. “President Curtis has always been a blast to play,” he noted. “I can’t wait for fans to see what kind of chaos he stirs up when Rick isn’t around to steal the spotlight.”
For those unfamiliar with the character, who’s popped up in eight episodes of the show over its multi-year run, he’s, well… The President of the United States, presented as one of the few people on the planet who can push back on series protagonist Rick Sanchez without ending up with some kind of exotic, fucked-up punishment hanging over his head. We’re not entirely sure we buy Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen’s claims that the character is so strong that the network would have greenlit the series even without the Rick And Morty connection. But there’s no denying that David’s performance has been a consistently fun guest note for the series since the character was introduced back in season 2 classic “Get Schwifty.”
President Curtis is a co-creation of Rick And Morty head honcho Dan Harmon and James Siciliano, a writer and producer who’s been with the flagship show since penning “Morty’s Mind Blowers” back in season 3. In addition to David, the series is also set to star Stephanie Beatriz and his old Community co-worker Jim Rash. No word yet on when the series is expected to debut.
