Podcast series “Batman Unburied,” a thriller delving into the dark recesses of Bruce Wayne’s psyche and featuring classic Batman villains, is set to launch on Spotify worldwide this spring.
The drama series will premiere May 3 exclusively on Spotify. It’s the first project under the audio platform’s multiyear deal with Warner Bros. and DC for scripted podcasts based on DC’s characters. “Batman Unburied” was created by executive producer David S. Goyer, who scripted 2005’s “Batman Begins” and was a writer for the two other films in “The Dark Knight” trilogy.
In addition to the English version, “Batman Unburied” will premiere globally on Spotify with eight localized adaptations of the original script in Brazil, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan and Mexico. Each non-English version will feature local original talent and production teams; according to the companies, the adapted scripts are “specifically crafted to reflect the culture and language that remains true to the core story.”
As previously announced, the English version of “Batman Unburied” stars Winston Duke as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Hasan Minhaj as The Riddler, Sam Witwer as The Harvester, and Gina Rodriguez as Barbara Gordon, daughter of former police commissioner Jim Gordon and star detective for Gotham PD. The cast also includes Lance Reddick as Thomas Wayne, Toks Olagundoye as Martha Wayne, Jason Isaacs as loyal butler Alfred, John Rhys-Davies as Dr. Hunter, Ashly Burch as Vicki Vale, Jessica Marie Garcia as Renee Montoya, Emmy Raver-Lampman as Kell, and Jim Pirri as Flass.
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Internationally, Bruce Wayne/Batman will be voiced by: Rocco Pitanga (Brazil), Dali Benssalah (France), Murathan Muslu (Germany), Amit Sadh (India), Ario Bayu (Indonesia), Claudio Santamaria (Italy), Ryohei Otani (Japan) and Alfonso Herrera (Mexico). Production for “Batman Unburied” is currently underway in all markets.
In “Batman Unburied,” Bruce Wayne works as a forensic pathologist in Gotham Hospital, where he’s tasked with examining the victims of The Harvester, a cannibalistic serial killer. As the story unfolds, Wayne must overcome his own mental demons and assume his identity as Batman in order to save Gotham’s citizens.
“With the global launch of ‘Batman Unburied,’ we are excited to bring the iconic franchise and the legacy of Batman to our hundreds of millions of listeners around the world,” said Dawn Ostroff, chief content and advertising business officer, in a statement.
Peter Girardi, EVP of alternative programming for Warner Bros. Animation, added, “David Goyer, this amazing cast and the entire ‘Batman Unburied’ team have created a Batman experience that stretches the narrative podcast medium to new levels along with your expectations on how immersive and compelling a Batman story can be. I could not have asked for a better way to kick off our creative partnership with Spotify.”
“Batman Unburied” is produced by Toby Lawless and Winnie Kemp for Wolf at the Door Studios, alongside Shaleen Desai, Tyler Dorson and Peter Girardi for Warner Bros.’ Blue Ribbon Content. It’s executive produced by Goyer and his company Phantom Four, with Phantom Four’s Keith Levine and Gracie Wheelan also serving as EPs. Executive producers for Spotify are Dawn Ostroff, Courtney Holt, Liz Gateley, Elena Blekhter and Julie McNamara.
The series is directed by Alex Kemp and written by Eric Carrasco (“Supergirl”), Saladin Ahmed, Rebecca Klingel (“The Haunting of Hill House”) and Graham Westerson.
Listen to the trailer for “Batman Unburied”:
