Batman is coming to Spotify.
The Dark Knight has evolved into one of the world’s most recognizable superheroes, with countless memorable appearances in comics, movies, TV shows and video games. In fact, since his 1940 debut, there are few realms of entertainment in which Batman hasn’t been seen, which makes his latest project so fascinating. In the upcoming Batman Unburied, Batman won’t be seen at all—he’ll be heard.
The first project to come out of the narrative podcast agreement between DC, Warner Bros. and Spotify, Batman Unburied is executive produced by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel, The Sandman) and his company Phantom Four. Announced late last year, little was known about Unburied’s story other than a promise that it would explore dark aspects of Bruce Wayne’s psychology. However, we now have our first synopsis, teasing a much different take on the Dark Knight than what we’ve seen from Goyer in the past:
Batman Unburied is a psychological thriller that takes us on a new journey deep into the mind of Bruce Wayne introducing a slew of dark twists and turns with a number of classic Batman Super-Villains. When audiences meet Bruce Wayne he is a forensic pathologist, working in the bowels of Gotham Hospital and tasked with examining the victims of The Harvester, a gruesome serial killer preying on Gotham’s citizens. Not only will the Super-Hero be forced to face his own mental demons, but he will also have to overcome them in order to save the citizens of Gotham as his alter-ego Batman.
Photo by David Higgs
Along with releasing the new synopsis, Spotify also made two intriguing casting announcements. Winston Duke—that’s right, of Black Panther, Us and Spenser Confidential fame—will lead the Batman Unburied cast as Bruce Wayne. He’ll be joined by none other than Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The OA, Star Trek: Discovery) as Alfred, Bruce’s unflappable butler and right-hand man. More casting announcements are expected in the months ahead.
While Batman Unburied is so far the only DC podcast announced by Spotify, it won’t be the last. The agreement between Spotify and Warner Bros. is a multi-year one for a full slate of narrative podcasts featuring some of DC’s biggest heroes and villains. Earlier this year, Goyer and DC Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee teased future projects featuring characters like Superman, Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Catwoman, Katana and more. Unburied also isn’t the only Batman podcast we’ll be getting in the near future. Earlier this year, and completely separate from the Spotify projects, it was announced that HBO Max was developing Batman: The Audio Adventures, a more comedic take on the character from SNL writer Dennis McNicholas and featuring Jeffrey Wright as the Dark Knight.
What do you think, Bat-fans? Are you ready for Batman to hit the podcast scene? Let us know over in the DC Community, and make sure your headphones are fully charged. You’re going to need them.
