Marvel and Stitcher have announced their next superhero podcast partnership: a radio drama adaptation of Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ limited Marvels series, which sees news photographer Phil Sheldon trying to get by in the chaos of a superhero world. The podcast marks the third collaboration between Marvel and Stitcher, following Wolverine: The Long Night and its sequel Wolverine: The Lost Trail.
The scripted Marvels series is meant to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the comics series, and it will largely follow the same story, seeing Sheldon (and other ordinary, non-superpowered people) deal with the aftermath of an attempted invasion by the world-devouring Galactus and his battle with the Fantastic Four.
According to the announcement, the Marvels podcast will see these ordinary people “embark on an investigation to confirm or debunk one of the most super-powered conspiracy theories of all time.” It sounds like the show will be offering a more grounded, personal take on the superhero genre, much like the two Wolverine series, which looked to emulate modern podcasts like S-Town and Serial.
Much like the Wolverine shows, which starred The Hobbit’s Richard Armitage, Marvels will also feature a star-studded cast, with Clifford “Method Man” Smithas Ben Urich, AnnaSophia Robb as Marcia Hardesty, Ethan Peck as Mr. Fantastic, and Seth Barrish as Phil Sheldon. The podcast will launch this fall, and it will be exclusively available on Stitcher Premium until 2020.