Batman Unburied From David S. Goyer Announced by Spotify

On Tuesday, Spotify, Warner Bros., and DC announced that film and television writer/producer/director David S. Goyer (Batman Begins) is returning to Gotham City to work on the new audio drama titled Batman Unburied. Goyer originated the story for the series and will remain aboard as an executive producer. The series is the first project to come from Spotify and Warner Bros.’ multi-year agreement to produce and distribute an original slate of scripted narrative podcasts. Spotify will be the exclusive platform of Batman Unburied, which is being developed and produced by Goyer’s Phantom Four production company in association with Warner Bros.’ Blue Ribbon Content. Phantom Four’s Keith Levine will also serve as an executive producer alongside Goyer. The companies are keeping story details under wraps for now, but suggest the story will explore the dark side of Bruce Wayne’s psychology. The series debuts in 2021.

“I’ve been a fan of narrative podcasts for some time and was looking for the right story — returning to Batman seems like the perfect opportunity,” said Goyer in a press release. “We’ll be using the unique advantages of audio to dig into the more nightmarish members of the Dark Knight’s Rogues Gallery.”

“David Goyer is an exceptional talent, and we can think of no better leader to leverage the infinite possibilities of podcasting to bring the nearly 300 million Spotify users around the world a Batman saga for the ages,” commented Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content and Advertising Business Officer, Spotify.

Batman Unburied is the latest in a long line of DC Entertainment projects from Goyer. He is currently executive-producing the upcoming Netflix/Warner Bros. Television drama series based on Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. He was a writer on The Dark Knight Trilogy, co-wrote Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and wrote Man of Steel. He also developed and executive produced Warner Horizon Scripted Television’s Krypton for Syfy and Warner Bros. Television’s Constantine for NBC, and executive produced Blue Ribbon Content/Warner Bros. Animation’s Constantine: City of Demons for CW Seed.

The deal between Warner Bros. and Spotify gives the streaming music service license to draw upon the entire DC Universe to create original scripted series. “As we continue to see explosive growth in podcasting around the world, we are thrilled to partner with Warner Bros. to build this slate of programming drawn from the worlds of DC and WB,” said Ostroff at the time of the deal’s announcement. “We could not be more excited to be working with Robert, Peter and the entire Warner Bros. and DC teams to deliver new exclusive stories to the more than 286 million Spotify users.”

“Warner Bros. has been synonymous with compelling and unforgettable storytelling for nearly a century, and we’re continuing to expand that legacy across all types of media platforms for our fans,” said Robert Steele and Peter Girardi in a joint statement. They oversee the Warner Bros. side of the partnership. “Spotify’s deep engagement with its consumers and commitment to prioritizing their podcast vertical makes them an ideal partner in this endeavor. We’re excited to bring beloved characters and franchises from DC and Warner Bros. into this new world and to use our storytelling prowess to redefine what’s possible in the scripted audio space.”