DC’s big push into the serialized podcast format is kicking off, of course, with Batman — and it’s bringing some big talent along for the ride. But its excellent casting for the Dark Knight himself now has us slightly sad that it’s not for another medium.
THR has word that Black Panther and Us’ Winston Duke will be playing Bruce Wayne in Batman Unburied, the Spotify podcast series from DC being produced by David S. Goyer and penned by Eric Carrasco, Saladin Ahmed, and Rebecca Klingel. The show is described as Batman with a more psychological bent, exploring the inner minds of both Bruce and his gallery of rogues as Wayne — introduced as a forensic pathologist working at Gotham Hospital — tracks a serial killer known only as the Harvester. Unburied is the first series in a wide-ranging deal DC struck with Spotify for more podcasting content last year, but beyond Duke’s involvement, little about the project and what will come after it is still unknown.
But holy hell is Winston Duke as Batman a hell of a draw anyway. Comic book fans might know him best for the beefy bravado Duke provided as Black Panther’s M’Baku, equal parts action star and comic relief, but the thought of him tackling Batman — and specifically a more reflective take on the character, if what little we know of Unburied is anything to go by — is an exciting one indeed. However, in equal measure, it has us already hoping to see this version of Batman stretch his Batwings beyond just Unburied’s audio format. And why shouldn’t we? DC’s going all-in on embracing its multiversal source material to provide alternate versions of its heroes and villains in other formats. We live in a world where, as far as we know, a live-action Flash movie has more Batmen in it than it does Flashes. What’s not to say Winston Duke couldn’t slip on a Batsuit and still live alongside Robert Pattinson?
We’ll bring you more on Batman Unburied as and when we learn it.