Benjamin Percy@Benjamin_Percy


This is the project I've been secretly working on the past five months. Wolverine: The Long Night. The 1st podcast (radio play) series put out by @Marvel . I wrote ten, half-hour episodes, with @RCArmitage as the title character.

Marvel is aiming to create the next 'Serial,' starring Wolverine

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Wolverine has explored plenty of territory in his 43-year history at Marvel — from comics to computer games, big screen to small — but come 2018, he'll venture into a whole new frontier: his own podcast.

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.

"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.

Richard Armitage‏@RCArmitage

Marvel is aiming to create the next 'Serial,' starring Wolverine http://mashable.com/2017/12/05/wolverin ... Fhh5dIsuOc … via @mashable

Hmm, bringt Geld...Aber zu Begeisterungsstürmen reißt mich das jetzt nicht hin, sorry

An diese Hugh Jackman-Lookalike-Geschichte musste ich auch gleich denken. DER hat mittlerweile mit Wolverine abgeschlossen

Richard Armitage is confirmed as the new Wolverine – but there's a catch

5 December 2017

No matter how much it breaks our heart, the Hugh Jackman era of Wolverine is over, and it's only a matter of time until a new actor steps in to take over the next chapter of Weapon X.

And, as it turns out, that actor is going to be Marvel alum Richard Armitage. Sort of.

According to Mashable, Richard will be lending his voice to the beloved X-Men character in Marvel's first-ever scripted podcast, Wolverine: The Long Night.

The series, which will take place over 10 episodes, will debut exclusively on podcast network Stitcher Premium next year, before branching out across platforms later on in 2018.

It will follow two agents, Sally Pierce and Tad Marshall, investigating a series of murders with Armitage's Logan as the chief suspect.

But The Long Night isn't about to become a standard comic book adaptation – writer Ben Percy has got bigger, more collaborative plans than that.

Teasing that the series will be similar to cult-favourite Serial, Ben revealed that the story will follow a familiar true-crime format, as well as stay true to its roots.

"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 recognise that you've been mistaken all along.

"It functions like a turnstile of mysteries," he hinted.

Hugh Jackman, who?

Marvel Partners with Stitcher to Launch Its First Scripted Podcast, ‘Wolverine: The Long Night’

Published Dec 5, 2017 By Christine Dinh

Actors Armitage, Adsit, Balaban and Mitchell cast in key roles for spring 2018 series.

Marvel New Media and top podcast listening service and content network Stitcher (“Heaven’s Gate,” “Katie Couric,” “The Paris Review”) today announced “Wolverine: The Long Night,” the first-ever Marvel scripted podcast, launching in spring 2018. The 10-episode series will be available exclusively on Stitcher Premium until fall 2018, when it will see a wide release across all podcast platforms.

The show’s cast includes notable actors Richard Armitage (“The Hobbit”), Scott Adsit (“30 Rock”), Bob Balaban (“Moonrise Kingdom”) and Brian Stokes Mitchell (“Mr. Robot”).

The “Wolverine: The Long Night” story is a captivating hybrid of mystery and the larger-scale fantasy of the Marvel Universe. It follows agents Sally Pierce (Celia Keenan-Bolger) and Tad Marshall (Ato Essandoh) as they arrive in the fictional town of Burns, Alaska, to investigate a series of murders and quickly discover the town lives in fear of a serial killer. The agents team up with deputy Bobby Reid (Andrew Keenan-Bolger) to investigate their main suspect, Logan (Richard Armitage). Their search leads them on a fox hunt through the mysterious and corrupt town.

The process behind the making of “Wolverine: The Long Night” brings Marvel’s storytelling expertise into the podcasting world, breaking new ground for the medium. To provide listeners a sense of immersion into the story, outdoor scenes will be recorded in realistic-sounding locations including forests and a cabin. In the studio, actors will be recorded in an ambisonic — or fully surround-sound — environment, allowing them to move, interact with one another and fully inhabit their characters.

“‘Wolverine: The Long Night’ brings our fans a whole new way to experience our iconic characters and the Marvel Universe,” said Dan Silver, vice president, head of platforms and content for Marvel New Media. “This tremendous cast will bring a thrilling level of intrigue and drama to our listeners. The character of Logan and this landscape make it the ideal premiere vehicle for us, and we’re excited to continue to explore the dynamic possibilities of the podcast medium.”

Also cast in the series are actors Zoe Chao, Chaske Spencer, Jordan Bridges, David Call, Michael J. Burg and Lannon Killia. Chris Gethard, host of the popular “Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People” podcast, also will make a cameo appearance.

“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,” said Erik Diehn, CEO of Midroll Media, a podcast industry leader and the parent company of Stitcher. “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.”

Stitcher and Marvel have assembled a writing and production team of veterans from both the comic book world and the podcasting industry. “Wolverine: The Long Night” is written by award-winning comic book author Ben Percy (“The Wilding,” “Red Moon”) and will be directed by Brendan Baker (formerly a producer for Radiotopia’s “Love & Radio”). Chloe Prasinos (formerly a producer for Gimlet’s “Reply All”) will oversee sound design. The series is produced by Daniel Fink of Marvel and Jenny Radelet of Stitcher.

Richard Armitage to Star As Wolverine in New Marvel Podcast

Cassie ParkesBy Cassie Parkes On Dec 5, 2017 Last updated Dec 5, 2017


According to Mashable, Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Castlevania) is set to feature as Marvel’s very own Wolverine in a brand new podcast serial which is set to hit the airwaves in Spring of 2018.

Titled as “Wolverine: The Long Night”, writer Ben Percy says will the new Wolverine podcast will “blend the mystery aspects of true crime podcasts like Serialand S-Town with the narrative tricks of True Detective — plus a dash of Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven.”

Erik Diehn, CEO of Midroll Media, Stitcher’s parent company, let Mashable know how excited he was to be working with Marvel to create something unique for Logan’s story: “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…”

Armitage is no stranger to audio, lending his voice to productions such as Netflix’s 2017 Castlevania series, as well as Audible productions like David Copperfield and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. As well as Armitage, the cast of Wolverine: The Long Night also includes Scott Adsit (30 Rock) and Bob Balaban (Moonrise Kingdom).

The ten episode serialised story will air on podcasting platform Stitcher, available to subscribers of its “Stitcher Premium” service. Other Stitcher shows include Comedy Bang Bang, WTF with Marc Maron and The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana.

Will you be listening to Wolverine: The Long Night? Let us know in the comments below!

Wolverine to Star in Serialized Audio Drama from Marvel and Stitcher Next Year

Posted by Jude Terror December 5, 2017 0 Comments


Wolverine has only been back from the dead for a couple of months, but Marvel’s favorite Mary Sue is already rapidly expanding his multimedia presence. According to a report from Mashable, Marvel has teamed with premium podcast network Stitcher to create an audio serial podcast starring the stabby mutant.

Called Wolverine: The Long Night, the podcast will run for 10 episodes, available exclusively on Stitcher in Spring 2018 before being released on other podcast outlets in the Fall. The story teams two government agents with a local deputy in Alaska as they investigate Logan as a murder suspect. It’s easy to see why they might suspect him, considering his razor sharp adamantium claws, penchant for beserker rages, and habit of murdering his own children. Presumably, though, since this is Marvel, Wolverine will turn out to be innocent (of this particular murder) and he’ll team up with the cops to bust the real killer while at the same time lecturing everyone around him about morality, like he has any room to talk.

Cast members include Celia Keenan-Bolger, Ato Essandoh, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Scott Adsit, Bob Balaban, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Chris Gethard. Richard Armitage will voice the hairy Canuck himself.

Writer Ben Percy said of the project:

“It’s very easy to turn up the volume on reality [in Alaska]. 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. 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.”

Previously, it was reported that Wolverine will be ramping up guest appearances in comic books in 2018, as part of Marvel’s initiative to return him to his sales-sustaining pre-death glory. While Wolverine was absent from Marvel comics, sales plummeted, as his guest appearances were previously propping up about half of the publishing line and multiple team books.

During Wolverine’s absence, at least six other Wolverines tried to fill in, including a time-displaced older version of Wolverine, two female clones of Wolverine, Wolverine’s son (one of the few he hasn’t murdered), Wolverine’s on from an alternate dimension, and an actual Wolverine named Jonathan. Clearly, that wasn’t enough, but all will soon be made right again as Wolverine slices through 2018 with podcasts, guest appearances, surely multiple ongoing solo books, and a central role in whatever super-mega-crossover event involving the Infinity Stones Marvel is planning for 2018.

Richard Armitage Plays Wolverine In Serial-Inspired Scripted Podcast

by Tim Adams in Comic News Comment (1)


Marvel Comics has partnered with Stitcher Premium for a scripted podcast featuring the X-Men’s Wolverine.

Titled Wolverine: The Long Night, the 10-episode series will star Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Hannibal) as the voice Logan, with writer Benjamin Percy (Green Arrow, Teen Titans) supplying the script.

“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,” Midroll Media CEO Erik Diehn said 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.”

“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 said. “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 synopsis for Wolverine: The Long Night reads:

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.

Percy adds that Logan has purposely sought out Alaska for its isolation: “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.”

“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,” Vice President of Marvel New Media Dan Silver said. “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.”

Marvel loves to remind its fans that “it’s all connected” when it comes to the shared universe of its TV series and feature films, and a similar world-building could potentially happen with Marvel podcasts.

“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 teased. “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.”

Silver doesn’t want to predict a “Marvel Podcast Universe” just yet, but does admit “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 Wolverine: The Long Night 10-episode series will launch on Stitcher Premium in spring 2018, before arriving on other podcast platforms in the fall.

Richard Armitage‏@RCArmitage

Richard Armitage hat Benjamin Percy retweetet

.@Marvel 10 fantastic, dyanamic, action packed, dark, deeply philosophical and challenging scripts; I tasted blood

Benjamin Percy‏ @Benjamin_Percy

Antwort an @RCArmitage @Marvel

You tasted blood because you extinguished a cigar on your tongue, Wolverine. Thanks so damn much for bringing this scarred-up, shadow-soaked series to life.