A brand-new comedy podcast is taking on a Star Trek classic by “novelizing” the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”The Novelizers features a wide-ranging group of writers and celebrity narrators, including some Star Trek vets.
The Novelizers takes on Wrath of Khan
The Novelizers with Andy Richter podcast series tasks a series of comedy writers to write “chapters” in a novelization of a movie, and their first season takes on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Andy Richter kicks off each episode and introduces the contributors. “The Novelizers is by far the best popular-film-turned-into-a-novel-and-then-turned-into-an-audio-play podcast that I have ever hosted,” says Richter in a statement. “One of the creators of The Novelizers is Rob Kutner, who is an Emmy-winning comedy writer who worked on Conan for years, so when he asked me to host the podcast I knew that it would be funny and involve really talented people, and I also knew I could physically intimidate him into getting whatever I wanted if it ever came to that.”
Here is the official synopsis:
With its fusion of comedy and literature, The Novelizers offers an irresistible treat for both Star Trek enthusiasts and comedy aficionados, while allowing the many people associated with the project to pay homage to a beloved film that helped to shape their view of what is possible in art and entertainment. This podcast celebrates the enduring legacy of the film while embracing the power of storytelling and imagination. “The Wrath of Khan is a perfect subject of the first season of The Novelizers because it is well-loved, indelibly imprinted on our collective consciousness, and also deeply silly and ripe for comedy,” according to Richter.
The Novelizers podcast logo
Each episode includes two “chapters” from the movie with each adapting a key scene—and each one is written by a different writer. Many of the writers have TV credits including David A. Goodman, who worked on Futurama and Star Trek: Enterprise. Other writers include vets from The Tonight Show, NewsRadio, Robot Chicken, and more. By design, there was no coordination between the different writers, allowing each chapter to have its own style and humor.
Adding to the variety, each chapter has a different narrator. The first is narrated by Christina Chong, which is fitting as she plays a descendant of Khan Noonien Singh on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The second chapter from the first episode is narrated by H. Jon Benjamin, best known for Bob’s Burgers and Archer, but also the star of Star Trek: Short Treks “The Trouble with Edward.” The full list of narrators also includes Felicia Day, Wayne Brady, and Patton Oswalt (who voiced Spot 73 in Star Trek: Picard).
Andy Richter with H. Jon Benjamin and Chrissy Chong, drawn by Barry Crain (The Novelizers)
Each episode also features a (fake) behind-the-scenes interview by Kevin Carter, including ones with the “slug consultant” and William Shatner’s body double.
New installments of the 10-episode first season of The Novelizers are released each Sunday, and the first two are already out. It is available on Apple, Spotify, and other popular podcasting platforms. You can find out more at the official site thenovelizers.com.
You can listen to the latest episode below (via Spotify). It includes a chapter written by David A. Goodman, narrated by Felicia Day.
Find more Star Trek celebrity stories at TrekMovie.
OMG! Weekend plans officially made! Richter is the BEST! Perfect past time between now and the 15th!!!
Cue the outrage from the purists…..
“My God Bones, what have I done?”
“What you always do Andy, turn a Classic movie into Comedy Art.”
This is my new favorite thing.