Batman Unburied is an American superhero audio drama podcast series created by David S. Goyer featuring the DC Comics hero Batman. It is the first of a series of Spotify-produced scripted podcasts based on DC's characters. The second, Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind, was released in 2023.
| Batman Unburied | |
|---|---|
 Season One poster | |
| Presentation | |
| Starring | Winston Duke Colman Domingo |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Created by | David S. Goyer |
| Written by | David S. Goyer |
| Voices | Winston Duke Hasan Minhaj Gina Rodriguez Colman Domingo |
| Language | English |
| Production | |
| Production |
|
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Publication | |
| Original release | May 3, 2022 |
| Provider | Spotify |
| Related | |
| Website | open |
In June 2022, a second season of Batman: Unburied was commissioned,[1] in addition to a spin-off entitled The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark, which debuted on October 10, 2023.[2][3] The second season "Fallen City", will release on November 26, 2024.[4]
Cast
edit- Winston Duke (Season 1) and Colman Domingo (Season 2) as Bruce Wayne
- Gina Rodriguez as Barbara Gordon
- Jason Isaacs as Alfred Pennyworth
Season One
edit- Hasan Minhaj as The Riddler
- Lance Reddick as Thomas Wayne
- Sam Witwer as the Harvester
- Emmy Raver-Lampman as Kell
- Jessica Marie Garcia as Renee Montoya
- Jim Pirri as Arnold Flass
- Toks Olagundoye as Martha Wayne
- John Rhys-Davies as Dr. Hunter
- Ashly Burch as Vicki Vale
- Justin and Griffin McElroy as Henchmen
- Travis McElroy as Officer Preslowski
- Blair Bess as Lt. Stan Kitch
Fallen City
edit- Morena Baccarin as Allie
- André Holland as Harvey Dent/Two-Face
- Cheech Marin as Jim Gordon
- Tahar Rahim as The Patriarch
- Alan Ruck as Coby Williamson.
Production
editIn September 2020, the podcast was announced.[5]
In July 2021, Winston Duke and Jason Isaacs were announced to star as Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth, respectively.[6] Hasan Minhaj's casting was announced in September, along with Lance Reddick, Toks Olagundoye, John Rhys-Davies and Ashly Burch.[7]
By October, the final main cast members had been unveiled: Gina Rodriguez, Sam Witwer, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jessica Marie Garcia and Jim Pirri.[8]
On April 5, 2022, a trailer was revealed, alongside the release date of May 3.[9]
Reception
editWriting in The Guardian, Graeme Virtue described Batman Unburied as "Instead of bright fights in tights, this is a slow-burning psychological thriller. ... Heavy on immersive sound design and (initially, at least) light on action, it is an impressively bleak take on a familiar myth, with the added frisson of the occasional F-bomb." Virtue also noted that in May 2022, the podcast displaced The Joe Rogan Experience as the No. 1 show on Spotify's podcast chart.[10] After the debut of the first two episodes on May 3, 2022, the series topped Spotify's charts in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, France, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Mexico and India. The same week it was No. 2 in Japan.[11] It remained at the top or near the top of the chart throughout its five-week run.[12]
The Los Angeles Times noted that "Due to the lack of visuals, the immersive sound design shines throughout the series. Batman Unburied is chock-full of authentic soundscapes that sound — in the best way possible — eerie and haunting" and that "It's also far more focused on Batman's mental psyche rather than Batman's physical brutality. It replaces action set pieces with mystery, suspense and horror."[12]
International adaptations
editAlso on April 5, Spotify announced that in addition to the main U.S. production, the script would be adapted for eight other countries, each with its own localized cast and production crew. They are set to be released on the same date as the original English language version.[9][13][14] In some cases, script details were also adapted for the different language versions, for example, a reference to a Chrisitian parable in English was replaced in the Hindi-language version with a reference to Buddha and Aṅgulimāla.[15]
In these adaptations, the cast of Batman Unburied consists of:
Future
editIn June 2022, Batman: Unburied was renewed for a second season.[1]Entitled "Fallen City", it will star Colman Domingo as Batman, reprising his role from The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark, alongside returning actors Gina Rodriguez and Jason Isaacs. New co-stars include Morena Baccarin as Allie, André Holland as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Cheech Marin as Jim Gordon, Tahar Rahim as The Patriarch and Alan Ruck as Coby Williamson. The season will premiere on November 26, 2024.[16]
Spin-off
editA spin-off of Batman: Unburied, entitled The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark, premiered on October 10, 2023. Hasan Minhaj reprises his role as the Riddler. The cast also includes Colman Domingo (replacing Winston Duke as Batman), Calum Worthy, Hannah Simone, Peyton Crim, Hugh Scott, Bri Giger, Aflamu Johnson and Amy Argyle. Gina Rodriguez, Jim Pirri, Jason Isaacs, and Ashly Burch all reprise their roles from Batman: Unburied.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "'Batman Unburied' Podcast Renewed for Season 2 at Spotify". Variety. June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Stream On 2023: Introducing The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark". Spotify YouTube Channel. March 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "Colman Domingo to Voice Batman Opposite Hasan Minhaj's Riddler in Spotify Series". The Hollywood Reporter. September 23, 2023.
- ^ "Colman Domingo Promises "Emotional New Discovery" in 'Batman Unburied' Second Season". The Hollywood Reporter. November 19, 2024.
- ^ "'Batman Unburied': David Goyer Creates Podcast For Spotify". Deadline Hollywood. September 29, 2020.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (July 27, 2021). "'Batman Unburied': Winston Duke to Voice Star as Bruce Wayne (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "'Batman Unburied' Enlists Hasan Minhaj as the Riddler (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. September 15, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (October 16, 2021). "Gina Rodriguez To Voice Barbara Gordon In Spotify's DC Podcast Series 'Batman Unburied'". Deadline.
- ^ a b "The 'Batman Unburied' Audio Series Is Ready To Take Flight Across the World in Spotify's Largest Simultaneous Launch". Spotify.com. April 5, 2022.
- ^ Virtue, Graeme (August 10, 2022). "AirPods, Assemble! How Podcasts Are Shaking Up Superhero Classics". The Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (May 6, 2022). "'Batman Unburied' Hits No. 1 on Spotify Charts Worldwide, Beating Joe Rogan". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ a b Grady, Kai (May 31, 2022). "How 'Batman Unburied' Reinvented the Dark Knight for a Global Audio Audience". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "大谷亮平、中島美嘉、岩田剛典、松井玲奈らがバットマンほかキャラクター演じる音声コンテンツ『BATMAN 葬られた真実』、Spotifyにて世界独占配信スタート" ["BATMAN: The Buried Truth," an audio content starring Batman and other characters featuring Ryohei Otani, Mika Nakashima, Takanori Iwata, and Rena Matsui, will be exclusively distributed worldwide on Spotify]. Screen Online (in Japanese). May 3, 2022.
- ^ "Awi Suryadi to Direct Spotify, Warner Bros., and DC's Indonesian Adaption of the Global 'Batman Unburied' Audio Series". Fremantle. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ Tiwari, Aarti (September 10, 2022). हालीवुड और दक्षिण भारतीय फिल्मों को भा रहा है हिंदीभाषियों का बाजार जिससे हिंदी अनुवादकों से लेकर लेखकों की बढ़ रही मांग [Hollywood and South Indian films are attracting the Hindi-speaking market, increasing the demand for Hindi translators and writers]. Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ "'Batman Unburied: Fallen City,' Starring Colman Domingo as the Dark Knight, Sets Premiere Date on Spotify". Variety. November 19, 2024.