Wolverine (podcast)
Wolverine is a scripted podcast serial featuring the Marvel Comics character Wolverine. The show is Marvel's first scripted podcast[2] produced by Marvel New Media and Stitcher.[3] Marvel had previously done some other audio only formats in 1974 with a Fantastic Four radio series and a Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero concept album.[4] It was dubbed one of the Best Podcasts of 2018 by Apple while also winning the 2019 iHeartRadio Award for Best Scripted Podcast. A comic adaptation was published by Marvel due to its success.
| Wolverine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Starring | Richard Armitage |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Written by | Benjamin Percy |
| Directed by | Brendan Baker[1] |
| Voices | Richard Armitage |
| Language | English |
| Length | 30 minutes[2] |
| Production | |
| Production | |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
| Publication | |
| Original release | March 12, 2018 – present |
| Cited for | Best Podcasts of 2018 by Apple iHeartRadio Award for Best Scripted Podcast |
| Provider | Stitcher Premium[2] |
| Website | www |
Premise
The Long Night
Federal agents are led to the fictional town of Burns, Alaska working a serial murder case. Logan is the main suspect. The agents will uncover Logan's dual identity and the corruption in the small town.[5] Logan is attempting to escape from society and over the course of the series recover some of his lost memories. He is, however, drawn to execute "frontier justice." Located nearby is the Aurora cult, who may or may not have power or be involved in the murders.[3]
The Lost Trail
The second season, The Lost Trail, finds Wolverine in New Orleans, Louisiana, looking for an ex-lover when humans and mutants start disappearing. Assisted by a young boy, Logan investigates the disappearances, which brings them to encounter "biker gangs", "Cajun thieves", one of which is Gambit, and "a world of wonders that defies explanation". The duo find a refuge called Greenhaven led by a powerful mutant, Jason Wyngarde.
Voice cast
Main cast
The Long Night cast
- Celia Keenan-Bolger as Agent Sally Pierce[7]
- Ato Essandoh as Agent Tad Marshall[7]
- Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Deputy Bobby Reid[7]
- Scott Adsit as Sheriff Ridge[7]
- Brian Stokes Mitchell as Nicholas Prophet[7]
- Bob Balaban as Joseph Langrock[7]
The Lost Trail cast
- Bill Irwin as Jason Wyngarde / Mastermind[6]
- Bill Heck as Remy LeBeau / Gambit[8]
- Rodney Henry as Marcus Baptiste[9]
- Christina Bennett Lind as Agent Sally Pierce[9]
- Blair Brown as Bonnie Roach[6]
- Mugga as Ruby Baptiste[9]
- Rachael Holmes as Maureen[6]
Episodes
Season 1: The Long Night
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chapter 1: A Thousand Ways to Die in Alaska" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | September 12, 2018 |
| 2 | "Chapter 2: Goodnight Nobody" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | September 12, 2018 |
| 3 | "Chapter 3: Underground" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | September 19, 2018 |
| 4 | "Chapter 4: Hunters" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | September 26, 2018 |
| 5 | "Chapter 5: Into the Woods" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | October 3, 2018 |
| 6 | "Chapter 6: Archaeology of the Night" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | October 10, 2018 |
| 7 | "Chapter 7: You're Next" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | October 17, 2018 |
| 8 | "Chapter 8: The Red Sunset" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | October 24, 2018 |
| 9 | "Chapter 9: The Changing" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | October 31, 2018 |
| 10 | "Chapter 10: No Escape" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | November 7, 2018 |
Season 2: The Lost Trail
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chapter 1: Among the Missing" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | March 25, 2019[6] |
| 2 | "Chapter 2: The Forgotten" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | July 7, 2019 |
| 3 | "Chapter 3: The Cold Blooded" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | July 14, 2019 |
| 4 | "Chapter 4: Into the Swamp" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | July 21, 2019 |
| 5 | "Chapter 5: Riverboat Revival" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | July 28, 2019 |
| 6 | "Chapter 6: Blood on the Bayou" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | August 4, 2019 |
| 7 | "Chapter 7: Welcome to Greenhaven" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | August 11, 2019 |
| 8 | "Chapter 8: The Proposition" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | August 18, 2019 |
| 9 | "Chapter 9: Greenhaven is Everywhere" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | August 25, 2019 |
| 10 | "Chapter 10: Deal With the Devil" | Brendan Baker | Benjamin Percy | September 1, 2019 |
Production
Marvel New Media and Stitcher announced on December 5, 2017 Wolverine: The Long Night was in production for a spring 2018 launch on Stitcher Premium. In Fall 2018, the podcast series would be widely released. Some of the recording would take place outside in the appropriate terrain. Also, actors would interact and move with other actors.[7] Producers are Daniel Fink for Marvel and Jenny Radelet for Stitcher.[3] The first season's first two episodes debuted on March 12, 2018 on Stitcher with two episode per week to follow; it ended its first season with ten episodes in early May.[10][11] A teaser trailer for the podcast was also released to promote it.
On November 5, 2018 Marvel and Sticher announced that second season called Wolverine: The Lost Trail has started production with Gambit and Mastermind being added to the story for a first quarter 2019 debut.[8] With the release of its trailer, Marvel indicated that the release date for the second season to be March 25, 2019 with Percy and Baker returning as writer for the season with associate director Chloe Prasinos.[6]
Reception
After listening to three episodes, Beth Elderkin of Io9 found the podcast to be "... off on a promising (albeit imperfect) note." "It might not be perfect, and some of the characters and setups might verge on the ridiculous, but it's exciting to experience a comic book universe story in this format."[10] In 2018, Apple named it as one of the "Best Podcasts of the Year" while being in their Top 25 Most Downloaded Podcasts of the Year and Top 25 Most Downloaded New Podcasts of the Year.[12] During the 2019 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards, it won the Best Scripted Podcast.[13]
Adaptation
Due to its success, a comic adaptation was written by the podcast writer Benjamin Percy. Joining Percy on the adaptation is artist Marcio Takara and cover artist Rafael Albuquerque for issue 1 released in January 2019.[14] The adaptation was a five issue mini-series in which two chapters were truncated to fill an issue.[15]
Future
Benjamin Percy teased in a 2017 interview with Mashable that Wolverine: The Long Night could be the start of a whole new interconnected universe, which he called the Marvel Podcast Universe.[16]
On August 14, 2019, Marvel and Stitcher announced that a 10-episode podcast adaptation of Kurt Busiek's Marvels will premiere in Fall 2019 with the first season focusing on the aftermath of the Fantastic Four's battle with Galactus and Phil Sheldon and his crew exploring the world of superheroes.[17]
References
- Rubin, Rebecca (December 5, 2017). "Marvel to Launch Wolverine Podcast 'The Long Night'". Variety. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- "Richard Armitage to play Wolverine in Marvel's first scripted podcast". UPI. United Press International. December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- Erao, Matthew (December 5, 2017). "Richard Armitage is Wolverine In Marvel's New Scripted Podcast". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- McMillan, Graeme (December 5, 2017). "Marvel Partners With Stitcher for Scripted 'Wolverine' Podcast". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- McCarthy, Tyler (December 5, 2017). "Wolverine returns in new serialized podcast drama directly from Marvel". Fox News. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- Beresford, Trilby (February 20, 2019). "Podcast Trailer: 'Wolverine: The Lost Trail' Set for March Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
- Silliman, Brian (December 5, 2017). "Marvel is sending Wolverine to slash up the world of scripted podcasts". Syfy. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- McMillan, Graeme (November 5, 2018). "'Wolverine' Podcast Returning for Season 2". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
- "Season 2 Cast". www.wolverinepodcast.com. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- Elderkin, Beth (March 12, 2018). "Wolverine: The Long Night Is the X-Men Crime Drama Podcast I Never Knew I Wanted". io9. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- Lovett, Jamie (March 12, 2018). "'Wolverine: The Long Night' Debuts". Comicbook.com. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- "Apple presents the best of 2018". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- "Best Comedy Podcast - iHeartRadio Podcast Awards 2019 Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- Swanson, Heather V. (October 5, 2018). "Marvel's Wolverine: The Long Night Is Becoming a Comic". CBR. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- Beresford, Trilby (March 18, 2019). "'Wolverine' Podcast Team on 'Apocalypse Now'-Inspired Season 2". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
- Prudom, Laura (December 5, 2017). "Marvel is aiming to create the next 'Serial,' starring Wolverine". Mashable. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
- "Marvel and Stitcher Expand Partnership by Launching New Fictional Partnership Podcast Series 'Marvels'". Marvel Entertainment. August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
