Posted in: Audio Dramas, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: Batman, batman unburied, Joe Rogan, preview, spotify

Joe Rogan vs Batman: Cartoon Character Loses to Comic Book Character

Published Fri, 06 May 2022 14:34:12 -0500

As far as the battle of comic book characters goes, it appears that Joe Rogan is losing the podcast war to The Dark Knight. That's right, Spotify & DC Comics' audio podcast drama Batman Unburied has unseated "Captain Conspiracy" on the streamer's charts. Right now, the first two episodes (which you can check out below) are helping the series capture the top spots in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, France, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Mexico, and India (and #2 in Japan, behind Spotify Studios' Spy x Family).

Now, we all remember what happened when the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia podcast started beating up on Joe Rogan, how he dialed up the off-the-deep-end wacky stuff and puked into the mouths of his followers like a baby bird feeding its young. And since Spotify has a stake in both shows, they're more than happy to sit on the sidelines. And while we know there isn't a cesspool too shitty for Rogan to do the backstroke in, there's this satisfaction in knowing that the adorable little "podcast king's" throne isn't as secure as it used to be. For you… Roganites? Joe-dophiles? Whatever you call yourselves? Here's something for your walls:

In the chilling, two-part series premiere (E01 "Kind of a Night Person" & E02 "Such Wonderful Secrets"), fans will meet Dr. Bruce Wayne as he performs an autopsy on the latest victim of Gotham City's newest serial killer, The Harvester. Then they'll join Bruce as he, at the insistence of his father, seeks the help of unconventional psychologist Dr. Hunter (John Rhys-Davies).

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.