By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES, April 5 (Reuters) – Spotify’s fictional podcast series about Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne, will premiere worldwide in May with local adaptations in nine countries, including India, Brazil and Japan, the company reported Tuesday.
The podcast follows the movie “The Batman,” which opened in theaters in March and has sold nearly $712 million in tickets worldwide.
“Batman Unearthed” is the first podcast developed through a multi-year agreement between Spotify Technology SA and AT&T Inc’s Warner Bros. to bring DC Comics superheroes to narrative podcasts. Swedish company Spotify, the world’s largest music streaming service, has been growing its podcast business and now offers more than 3.2 million podcast titles.
Described as a psychological thriller, “Batman Unearthed” is an original story that begins with Wayne working as a forensic pathologist examining the victims of a serial killer.
The English-language production will premiere worldwide on May 3, as will localized versions in Brazil, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, and Mexico.
The adaptations will be offered in the local language and will feature directors and voice actors from the area, according to the company. Scripts will also be adapted to reflect local culture.
Winston Duke, who played M’Baku in the Marvel movie “Black Panther,” will voice the role of Wayne in the English-language series.
In other markets, Wayne’s voice will be provided by 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).
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; edited in Spanish by Vicente Valdivia)
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