Despite the fact that there hasn’t been a new episode of THE BLACK TAPES released in over a year, the podcast STILL consistently ranks on Apple’s iTunes Arts chart in the top 10 in America, and the top 50 in Canada, Australia, and the UK, with 41.5 million downloads to date. Impressive, eh?
In the podcast:
host Alex Reagan narrates a nonfiction-styled fictional story over multiple episodes, using a format that has been compared to Serial. The story begins as a biography of paranormal investigator Dr. Richard Strand, an “evangelical skeptic” on a mission to debunk all claims of the supernatural. Reagan becomes interested in his collection of unsolved cases, which she begins calling his “Black Tapes,” and the podcast evolves into an exploration of these cases, paranormal culture, and the mysterious life of Dr. Strand.
And it looks like the podcast will be the next to make its way to the screen as today we have word via Deadline that NBC has put a supernatural drama based on the podcast into development, with Emerald City co-creator Matthew Arnold, podcast creators Paul Bae and Terry Miles, Entertainment 360 and Universal TV. Written and executive produced by Arnold, Bae, and Miles, THE BLACK TAPES adaptation follows a
journalist’s investigations into the unexplained supernatural mysteries caught on tape by a skeptical scientist. Each week the two of them embark on a journey exploring the literal and figurative ghosts that haunt them both.
Guymon Casady and Ben Forkner will be executive producing the upcoming series for 360 Productions. Universal TV will, obviously, act as the studio. If you never have given the spooky-ass podcast a listen, I suggest giving it a try. You can get started on the official site right over HERE. Enjoy!