Audible is about to take listeners on a wild ride through space and time with its latest scripted podcast, Exoplanet. The streaming service has a track record of producing immersive audio dramas, but this one might just be their most ambitious yet. We've got an exclusive first look at the trailer and the opening 19 minutes of the premiere episode, and it's a doozy.
Set in a future where humanity has cracked interstellar travel—though not quite perfected it—Exoplanet follows the crew of the starship Wild Blue Yonder as they explore a distant world. But their mission takes a bizarre turn when they hit a quantum anomaly that sends them hurtling through time. The result? The entire crew crashes on the same planet, but each member lands in a completely different era. Chief Engineer Jeff Shaw (Anthony Mackie, fresh off Captain America: Brave New World) finds himself in the present day, First Officer Becca Bang (Ariana DeBose, West Side Story) is stuck in the planet's primordial past, and Science Officer Logan Bowers (John Leguizamo, The Odyssey) is dealing with future shock. To make matters worse, there's a sinister force behind their predicament, and they'll need to find a way to communicate across the ages if they want to survive.
In the exclusive clip from episode 1, titled "Crash," we meet the crew of the Wild Blue Yonder as they embark on a yearlong mission to the planet Forge LV. First up is Bang, a military vet who's thrilled to be piloting a starship, even if she calls it a "bus." But her skills aren't enough to dodge the quantum disaster that's coming. After the crash, we follow Shaw, who's grappling with the fact that he missed his young daughter's birthday because of the mission. He's the first to regain consciousness, and he picks up a distress signal from Bowers—but there's a twist: the signal is coming from outer space, not from the planet's surface. Intrigued? You'll want to subscribe to Exoplanet on Audible so you don't miss an episode when it debuts on November 5.
Behind the scenes, Exoplanet boasts some serious sci-fi pedigree. It's executive produced by Andy Weir, the author behind The Martian and Project Hail Mary, so you know the science is going to be top-notch. The script comes from Benjamin Percy, a novelist and comic book writer who's worked on Teen Titans and Green Arrow for DC, as well as Wolverine and X-Force for Marvel. Percy is also currently collaborating with Stephen King on The End Times, a serial novel set in the world of The Stand.
If you're a fan of audio dramas, you might also want to check out Ethan Hawke's Midnight Radio, which brings a similar sense of eerie storytelling to the podcast format. And for those who love a good space thriller, the leaked Mass Effect 5 trailer might scratch that itch.
With a star-studded cast and a mind-bending premise, Exoplanet is shaping up to be one of the most exciting podcast releases of the year. Whether you're a die-hard sci-fi fan or just looking for your next audio obsession, this one's worth keeping on your radar.
