Podcast Mania: The Russo Brothers, Ava DuVernay, DC Comics, And More Announce New Podcasts

Spotify is one of the key players in the audio space, but as you might expect, there are several other companies that want a sliver of that pie. In an effort to differentiate themselves, drive listeners to their platform, and hopefully convert some of those listeners into premium subscribers, Spotify is partnering with several recognizable Hollywood (and Hollywood-adjacent) names on celebrity podcasts and new shows based around brands like DC Comics. Get the latest on newly announced projects from The Russo Brothers, Ava DuVernay, former President Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and more.

Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame) have signed a multiyear podcast deal with Spotify, in which they will be creating "genre-based, interconnected stories across a slate of multiple podcasts, much like the shared universe stories that the Russo Brothers have come to be known for in their Marvel films," according to The Wrap. There aren't any details yet about which genre these shows will be set in or who else will be involved, but considering the Russos have worked with some of the biggest actors in the world at this point, there's a good chance these scripted shows will have some significant star power attached.

Their production banner AGBO will work exclusively with Spotify on a series of new podcast shows, which will be genre-based, interconnected stories across a slate of multiple podcasts, much like the shared universe stories that the Russo Brothers have come to be known for in their Marvel films. No specific titles or details were provided about the podcasts, but the shows will be scripted content and focus on universe building.

Ava DuVernay (When They See Us, Selma) signed a podcast deal with Spotify earlier this year, and now we know what her first show with them will be. It's a new podcast called LEAP Files, based on her Law Enforcement Accountability Project. The podcast is described as "an investigative series that chronicles officers who commit murder, revealing the alarming truth about the blue wall of silence that protects police after they pull the trigger. The series explores a new case each week, zeroing in on the lack of repercussions and accountability despite fatal wrongdoing." DuVernay will oversee the show behind the scenes, but it's unclear if she'll also regularly appear on it herself.

In the wake of DC's deal with Spotify last summer, the audio platform officially announced that their first collaboration will be a podcast called Batman Unburied from David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), which will reportedly explore "the darker side of Batman's psychology." (What a novel idea!) DC chief creative officer Jim Lee revealed that podcasts are in the works focusing on characters like Catwoman and Katana, Superman and Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, Riddler, and Batgirl – and that sounds like just the tip of the iceberg for what fans might hear over the next few years. (WB is also working on a comedic Batman podcast for HBO Max, starring Jeffrey Wright.)

And finally, Barack Obama and music legend Bruce Springsteen will partner up for a podcast called Renegades: Born in the U.S.A., which is described as "an eight-episode podcast [which] will see the pair in deep and revealing conversation with each other, exploring a wide array of topics including race, fatherhood, marriage, and the state of America. It is a personal, in-depth discussion between two friends exploring their pasts, their beliefs, and the country that they love—as it was, as it is, and as it ought to be going forward."