1 month ago
EXCLUSIVE: Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars) and Rob Benedict (The Boys) will lend their voices to Saigon, a caller iHeartPodcasts play based connected nan bestselling Vietnam-set caller of nan aforesaid sanction by Anthony Grey.
The scripted podcast comes from Thoroughbred Studios, which is tally by media veterans Jeff Bewkes, Howard Stringer and Jeremy Fox. It produces alongside Goldhawk Productions and nan bid will motorboat April 22.
Billed arsenic an epic communicative of love, warfare and powerfulness group against nan backdrop of twentieth-century Vietnam, nan bid follows Joseph, an American who arrives successful a metropolis of glamor and assemblage power. He falls successful emotion pinch a female whose divided loyalties tie him into a world of gyration and danger.
The saga unfolds crossed decades, moving from nan last days of French assemblage norm to nan earliest years of U.S. engagement successful Vietnam. It weaves together individual stories and real-life humanities moments including nan burning monk and nan bombing of Hanoi. The bid will besides trace really nan Vietnam warfare had a immense effect backmost successful America.
The task has a individual resonance for respective of its participants. “My parents came to nan United States arsenic refugees from Vietnam and were separated from their ain parents for much than 2 decades,” said Tran, who serves arsenic narrator. “That acquisition is what drew maine to Saigon—a communicative astir family, region and nan ties that strengthen crossed generations. I spot my parents arsenic heroes, overmuch for illustration nan group you’ll meet successful this drama.”
Former Sony leader Stringer said nan bid brought backmost powerful memories. “Just six weeks aft arriving successful America, I was drafted and sent to Vietnam,” he explained. “I could person returned to nan UK, but I knew my early laic successful nan United States and felt a work to serve. It was my awesome adventure, and I chose to return that consequence — a determination that proved to beryllium some nan correct prime and a profoundly valuable experience.”
Benedict will play Joseph successful nan series. “It whitethorn beryllium group successful nan past, but it’s really astir group caught successful forces overmuch bigger than themselves, trying to clasp connected to love, personality and truth arsenic nan world shifts astir them,” he said. “It’s epic successful scope, but astatine its bosom it’s profoundly human, and that’s what makes it truthful powerful.”
Saigon comes retired of a woody betwixt iHeartPodcasts and Thoroughbred Studios. The brace are moving up a slate of podcasts based astir cardinal moments successful modern American history. Their first task was a timely astronaut play astir nan life of Buzz Aldrin, Buzz: The Man & The Moon pinch John Lithgow successful nan title role. Thoroughbred is besides down podcasts including CIA communicative Central Intelligence pinch Kim Cattrall and Ed Harris, which is for nan BBC successful nan UK.
Saigon is directed by John Scott Dryden and episodes will driblet play connected nan iHeartRadio app and different podcast and audio streaming platforms.
“Great storytelling has nan powerfulness to carrier listeners and bring history to life successful a profoundly individual way,” said Will Pearson, President of iHeartPodcasts. “Saigon is precisely nan benignant of premium storytelling we’re proud to bring to audiences to present a communicative that will resonate pinch listeners and enactment pinch them agelong aft each episode.”
