Fictional Podcast 'Wolverine: The Long Night' to premiere Spring 2018

>Mashable can exclusively reveal that the beloved X-Men character will headline Marvel's first-ever scripted podcast, Wolverine: The Long Night, a 10-episode serialized story that will debut exclusively on podcast network Stitcher Premium in Spring 2018 as part of a partnership between Marvel and Stitcher, before rolling out across all other podcast platforms in the fall.

>“Podcasting is an incredible, intimate medium that's perfect for telling stories, and I can’t think of a better partner with whom to push the boundaries of scripted podcasts than Marvel,” says Erik Diehn, CEO of Midroll Media, Stitcher's parent company, in a statement. “They make every translation of their rich universe of characters into new media fresh and interesting while still retaining the feel and spirit of the original comics, and, as a Marvel fan, I’m proud that we’ve helped them do it again in podcasting. The arrival of Wolverine and his many fans to podcasts and Stitcher is truly a signal that this medium is a major part of the American media landscape.”

>The Hobbit and Hannibal star Richard Armitage will lend his voice to Logan for the podcast, which writer Ben Percy says will blend the mystery aspects of true crime podcasts like Serial and S-Town with the narrative tricks of True Detective — plus a dash of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven.

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>"If you look at the success of Serial and S-Town, it has everything to do I think with their investigative formats, the way the listeners become complicit in the narrative," Percy tells Mashable. "They're co-authors, they're literary detectives, because they're piecing together the clues alongside the reporters, and I wanted to take a similar approach to that."

>The story begins with two agents, Sally Pierce (Celia Keenan-Bolger) and Tad Marshall (Ato Essandoh), who arrive in the fictional town of Burns, Alaska, to investigate a series of murders. The duo team up with deputy Bobby Reid (Andrew Keenan-Bolger) to investigate their main suspect, Logan (Armitage), but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

>"There are all these broken pieces that are being fitted together, and a shifting set of suspects, and every episode, you learn more and at the same time, recognize that you've been mistaken all along. It functions like a turnstile of mysteries," Percy hints.

>The cast also includes Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Bob Balaban (Moonrise Kingdom), Brian Stokes Mitchell and a cameo from Chris Gethard, host of the popular Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People podcast.

>This iteration of Logan is purposefully seeking the isolation that Alaska provides, according to Percy: "Because he's been mind-wiped again and again, he doesn't know the whole terrible truth about his life. Part of the series is him recovering those memories and despite his attempts to separate himself from society, getting drawn into a situation where frontier justice is called for."

>The Long Night will also weave in heightened elements that comic book fans would expect from Marvel, in part because Alaska is such an extreme environment.

>"It's very easy to turn up the volume on reality there. In addition to the crime investigation into the serial killer on the loose, there are also elements of the fantastic. And some of them have to do with Wolverine as his legend grows in this area, as people observe him bounding through the mists with packs of wolves; as they witness him save and end lives," Percy previews. "I'm also drawing from the Native legends in the area and from cultish mythology. There is a compound set up outside of the town of Burns, Alaska, where the Aurora cult is located. And it's unclear at first whether they are implicated in the murders that are occurring here and whether they might have powers, as they purport to — a connection to and a control over the fabric of light that plays over the winter skies."

>The specific appeal of a podcast versus more visual platforms is its intimacy, notes Dan Silver, vice president, head of platforms & content for Marvel New Media: "Being in this space where we can really touch and interact with our fans in a more 24/7 basis is one of our priorities. The beauty of this medium is you can listen to it as a show when it's first released and voraciously consume it from a habitual standpoint, or, like I do and many people do with podcasts, you can listen to it very leisurely."

>That sense of intimacy will also give fans a new understanding of Wolverine as a character, Silver says. "What I love about him for this specific space is he's one of our most complex characters, just in the way that he's been depicted and evolved in many different iterations in the books. But this space allows us to explore him as a person. When you strip away the visuals of the claws and the chops and the hair and all of that stuff and you really get a chance to explore the mind and the actions through words, he's a really interesting type of character. And I think this is a Wolverine that our fans haven't necessarily 'seen.' And it's very exciting for us to explore all the different nuances of him."

>Silver also praises the "naturalism" of the production process — which will record outdoor scenes in real locations like forests, while the cast will perform together in an "ambisonic" studio that enables them to interact and move around the space, which Silver likens to watching a play.

>"We're attempting to provide an audio experience that feels very much like if you just turned off your television screen, but left the sound on," he says. "It's very dynamic, it's very real, it's very raw, and it's made for what people would expect from Marvel."

>In addition to its comics, Marvel has already achieved film and TV dominance with its sprawling Cinematic Universe, but Percy hints that Wolverine: The Long Night could be the first step towards a similarly interconnected world in this new medium.

>"We have a fun opportunity here, and that's to create our own continuity. A continuity that will grow more and more expansive as the Marvel Podcast Universe expands," Percy teases. "There are glimmers that people will recognize, references to Weapon X and wartime Logan, Japan and past relationships that he's had. But he himself is not able to really work through his moth-eaten memory until the conclusion of this first season."

>Not wanting to put the cart before the horse, Silver is a little more circumspect about predicting a "Marvel Podcast Universe" just yet, but admits that if The Long Night proves successful, "that would be incredibly exciting ... Marvel is known as world-builders and universe-builders; that is what we do across all of our mediums. It's hard to say, but it would be super cool."

>The same is true of a potential second season for The Long Night or other serialized Marvel podcasts, Silver says. "Being able to reach the hardcore Marvel fan and maybe extend it into the casual fans and pull them in is exactly what we want to do... So yeah, if the audience is there and the demand is there and we feel like we can tell compelling, rich stories in this space, it would be fantastic."

>While the creative team behind Wolverine: The Long Night — director Brendan Baker, sound designer Chloe Prasinos and producers Daniel Fink of Marvel and Jenny Radelet of Stitcher — is currently working on perfecting the iconic snikt of Wolverine's claws in podcast form, the most vital piece of the puzzle is already in place: Armitage as Logan.

>"You think about when you read the comics as a kid: what was the voice that you heard in your head? And it was a lot of fun to sit in a room and have those conversations about, 'Is it gruff enough? Is it playful enough? Does it just sound like Hugh Jackman?'" Silver says of the casting process. "And then, all of a sudden Richard's name came up and everybody closed their eyes and it was like that moment when you all picture everybody hearing it in their head, and you went, 'Oh, yeah, of course. That would be amazing.' And yeah, he is — he's perfect."

>Percy agrees, "When I heard that Richard was a possibility for the role, I knew he was the one. He's a perfect match for Logan and brings so much soul and savagery to the project."

>Wolverine: The Long Night will debut on Stitcher Premium in Spring 2018.

>Ben Percy
Like, the Green Arrow/crime thriller writer?

tl;dr

Fictional podcast with Wolverine coming Spring 2018.
Written by Ben Percy (Green Arrow, Teen Titans, James Bond). Directed by Brendan Baker and produced by Daniel Fink and Jenny Radelet.
Richard Armitage to voice Logan.
Percy teases possibility of Marvel Podcast Universe, some other guy has caution but hopes this podcast is successful.

deal's not even done and based disney is already saving the xmen franchise

Does Percy not have an exclusivity deal or is that just for comics?

Watch there be a loophole they got around saying comics and movies/tv only lol

... that's not a loophole, that's just what Fox paid for. They specifically bought the film and television rights, that's it.

this actually sounds pretty awesome

As an avid audio drama listener, I'm intrigued.
But they shouldn't have dove straight into an all-star cast for the series. Much like voice acting for animation, voice acting for audio is a lot different from actual acting. You have to put as much emotion into your voice as you can while avoiding being ham-fisted; you also have to avoid just coming off like you're reading a script in one take.

Hopefully it pans out and we see more, but given the relative obscurity of audio drama podcasts as it is, I remain wary. I'm still waiting for /pod/, dammit.

I'm interested.

I love radio drama, so I'm really excited for this. Percy has done fun stuff, but nothing that I've found really compelling. I do hope that this has a more unique feel to its story than the MCU. More Netflix than MCU, so to speak, even though technically Netflix Marvel is part of the MCU.

I think all-star is overstating it. Armitage is reasonably big, but other than The Hobbit, he's not name brand, and even in The Hobbit, he's not nearly as big a name as several other actors. I think especially for British actors, radio is part of their training and life, unlike the way it is in America. It sounds like the show is pulling from New York's acting base, though, since the other two names seem to be NY peeps.

percy said this has been worked on for like 6 months now

Yes I know. Way back when Fox bought the rights for X-Men for movies and television. Not podcasts. Marvel always had the rights to do this.

Thanks user.

>a cameo from Chris Gethard

When did Vacation Jason release him from his time-share prison?

>I think all-star is overstating it.
Fair; I'm probably biased towards names from audio dramas I've heard before.

Still, it won't be easy to drop right into audio acting right away.

>even though technically Netflix Marvel is part of the MCU
You can't go saying that! D'you know where you are?!?

I think this is interesting. If anybody can make a fictional podcast that isn't Serial somewhat successful, it's marvel characters. Curious what happens if they get to characters with big and flashy powers since some of that excitement would be taken away if you can't see it.

This sounds pretty dope.

Should be interesting to see how writing and character carry themselves stand alone.

Success is relative, but I know what you mean.

I just hope they don't half-ass it or, worse, find a flash of success and immediately decide to go all in only to oversaturate their own market.

the what? they must be a fucking kidding me

>based disney
KILL YOURSELF

Wolverine is pretty boring, so you know the naswer

Let's see (hear?) before we call it in.

Why wait? I can already tell it's going to be generic, based on the description.
I mean
>brainwashed sniktbub again

What dramas do you like? I mostly listen to what the BBC has on their website, along with some of their classic dramas you can get from audible or online.

There's also some Christian radio dramas that I enjoy, but I dunno how Christian a board Sup Forums is these days ;)

I don't get it. What's wrong with saying that?

and miss out on all the great Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, and now whatever they want to make from Fox movies? No way

I've been rocking the independent productions. I'm currently catching up on "Rabbits" and "Welcome to Night Vale"; WTNV is as good as ever, but Rabbits is a bit of a drag pacing-wise. It doesn't help that I caught up on "The Black Tapes" and "Tanis", which were both underwhelming. Shame, really.

I'm also listening to the other Night Vale Presents productions, specifically "Within The Wires" and "It Makes A Sound". WTW is a bit more intellectual, in that it's not an outright story but one you have to piece together over the past two seasons. Not to imply that it's hard to get into, but it's untraditional. IMAS is a bit slow to start and you may not like it, but it might help to go in with an understanding of the main theme of the series, which is nostalgia for childhood and the past. "You can never go home again" and all that jazz.

Other than those, I'm listening to "King Falls AM", "Wolf 359", "The Far Meridian", "ars PARADOXICA", "Return Home", and "Uncanny County" when they update. Once I'm caught up on Rabbits and Night Vale, I'll move on to other series I haven't caught up on. Out of those I just listed, though, I'd recommend "King Falls AM" and "Wolf 359" if you need something new. The former is a supernatural/paranormal series akin to a cross between Night Vale and Twin Peaks, and the latter is a comedy-drama set on a spaceship orbiting a star light years from Earth.

I have to admit, Night Vale doesn't work for me - I don't really like listening to public radio or NPR podcasts, so the imitation of that style didn't engage me that much (plus, not really into the New Weird movement of fantasy or Lovecraftian stuff either - I'm much more traditional in my tastes for storytelling). I want basically a solid audioplay of the classic BBC or old-time radio style.

I have checked out some of Wondry's podcasts, like Terms and Steal the Stars, but those, while fun, tend to feel a bit more amateur hour in writing. They're also very, very tumblr in sensibility.

Checking out your rec of Wolf 359, though. :)

>return of radio serials
yyyyyeeeessss!!!!

>If anybody can make a fictional podcast that isn't Serial somewhat successful
Serial isn't fictional, user.

I'm curious - what is the appeal of WTNV?

I read the book because my wife picked it up for me on a whim, and the book was... okay. Really interesting at times, really grating at others. But then I tried listening to the podcast and I just didn't get it.

Haha. Says you. It's a story about a real person who attempted to fictionalize away a narrative she didn't like.

That's still not how words work. You might not agree with her narrative, but it's still non-fiction reporting.

If I think her narrative is not correspondent with reality, then it's fictional.

It's not presented as fictional, but that's semantical.

Which as an English major, I probably should care about. But I don't, in this case, because Serial annoys the heck out of me.

It doesn't seem any different to every other true crime thing that has come out the past few years. Unless you're talking about season 2, which I never actually listened to.

Huh, I wonder what this means for Graphic Audio's Marvel contract?

That's fair. Not everybody will enjoy the same shows or formats. I will warn you that Wolf 359 does start that way, though there is a larger cast; at the end of the first season, it drops the host-driven format and becomes more storytelling-driven.

Night Mind has a relatively solid explanation, framed like an episode of Night Vale. It starts critical of the series, though it's mostly because up to the video's publication, Night Mind was often compared by his fans to Cecil Baldwin.
youtube.com/watch?v=G-KSUoTpZMo

Some people get in denial about tv shows for marvel being canon.

I think it's because dc shows are indeed not canon so they assume it's the same for marvel.

>more Sup Forums related audio dramas
Yeah!

Neat.

marvel is so against accidentally making a good comic they take a genuinely interesting idea like this and waste it on a complete fucking experiment.

I fucking hate this company. what the fuck. The Platoon is fantastic just give us more good comics like that. Like this with the snikt bub doing snikt bub things. Even if this would sadly seem to be a non yellow suit story.