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Batman Unburied E07/E08: Emmy Raver-Lampman's Poison Ivy Debuts

Published Tue, 24 May 2022 13:29:12 -0500

by Ray Flook

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Written by EP & Batman Begins screenwriter David S. Goyer, DC & Spotify's Batman Unburied is a deep dive into the mind of Bruce Wayne (Winston Duke). When the audio drama first begins, we find Wayne working as a forensic pathologist in the bowels of Gotham Hospital. Tasked with examining the victims of the gruesome serial killer "The Harvester" (Sam Witwer), Wayne is forced to face his own mental demons. But will he be able to overcome them in time to save the citizens of Gotham as his alter-ego, Batman? This week, listeners are one step closer to getting that answer with the release of S01E07 "May Day" and S01E08 "Deadly Things." And if that's not reason enough alone to check it out, we've also got Emmy Raver-Lampman's (The Umbrella Academy) debut as Poison Ivy.

This week, a key figure in the series is murdered and the killer's identity can only be uncovered with the help of the least trustworthy citizens of Gotham… the inmates at Arkham Asylum. And that included the one and only Poison Ivy (Raver-Lampman), a sultry and confident woman who loves plants more than human survival. But as the story continues, Batman makes a shocking discovery and must stop a plot that could kill every citizen of Gotham:

Speaking with Variety, Goyer explained how having Bruce Wayne not suffer the trauma of seeing his parents murdered allowed them to approach The Dark Knight in a new way. "I knew it was a big swing, and kind of a wild swing, but Spotify, DC, and Warner Bros. were all supportive of it," Goyer said. "We were recontextualizing the Batman story from a different angle… I said, 'There's no point in doing this story — there've been so many Batman stories told — if we're not doing something different.' I was intrigued with the idea of, What would happen if Bruce Wayne's parents hadn't been killed?" And by doing that, the debate over whether Bruce's darkness is inherited or based on what's around him takes on a different meaning. "That darkness may have been trauma passed down from one generation to the next," Goyer explained. "We look at nature versus nurture."

The cast includes Winston Duke (Black Panther) as Bruce Wayne aka Batman; Jason Isaacs ("Harry Potter" franchise) as trusted butler Alfred; Hasan Minhaj (The Morning Show) as The Riddler; Lance Reddick (Resident Evil) as Batman's father, Thomas Wayne; Toks Olagundoye (Shameless) as Batman's mother, Martha Wayne; John Rhys-Davies ("Lord of the Rings" films) as Dr. Hunter; Ashly Burch (Mythic Quest) as Vicki Vale; Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin, Big Mouth) as Barbara Gordon; Sam Witwer (Supergirl) as The Harvester; Emmy Raver-Lampman (The Umbrella Academy) as Kell; Jessica Marie Garcia (On My Block) as Renee Montoya; and Jim Pirri (Penguins of Madagascar) as Arnold Flass, a corrupt cop who uses his badge for his own personal gain.

Globally, Batman Unburied boasts impressive and accomplished casts of their own. For example, take a look at the line-up of voice talent on tap for the role of Batman. We have 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). The audio drama is the first of Spotify and WarnerMedia's previously-announced expansion of the DC audio drama universe with a total of nine projects focusing on Catwoman, Wonder Woman, the Riddler, Batgirl, the Joker, Superman & Lois Lane, and more. Batman Unburied includes executive producers Goyer, Keith Levine, and Gracie Wheelan for Phantom Four; executive producers Liz Gateley & Elena Blekhter for Spotify; and executive producers Peter Girardi and Shaleen Desai for Blue Ribbon Content. Wolf at the Door will handle physical production, with Alex Kemp directing. Writers include Eric Carrasco (Supergirl), Saladin Ahmed (Foundation), Rebecca Klingel (The Haunting of Hill House), and Stranger Things writers' assistant Graham Westerson.