Power Of The Pod: Why Hollywood Loves Podcasts

Without a doubt, the breakthrough information and entertainment medium of the past few years has been the podcast. 

First arriving on the scene with the introduction of MP3 players in the early 2000s, today podcasts allow anyone to talk about more or less anything, whether comedy or true crime, sport or style, politics or parenting. Everyone from celebrities to journalists and ordinary people have driven the conversation, using nothing but a microphone and perhaps some good company. 

With so many great stories being told out there, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came calling. A successful podcast, much like a good book, can have producers beating down the door to make adaptations for the big or small screen. And in a culture where familiarity is king, the in-built audience of a podcast is also an invaluable asset. Yet, despite the fact that podcasts have been turned into on-screen stories for years, many viewers aren’t aware that this is the source material for some of their favourite films. Join us as we look at the movies and TV shows that made the leap from the listening queue to pop culture gold…

The Farewell (2019)

First on our list is a podcast that became a Golden Globe-winning drama. Lulu Wang’s touching film about a young Asian-American woman (Awkwafina) confronting her heritage when her grandmother falls ill is an adaptation of a story from a podcast institution. The film is based on Wang’s own experiences, but they were first portrayed in an episode of This American Life, a podcast and radio show that features personal essays, documentaries and biographies. One of the most popular audio programmes in the world, the show provided a platform for Wang’s story, which was eventually developed into a screenplay. This digital showcase was a new avenue for the potential of storytelling, and the success of the film propelled Wang to new heights as an artist. 

Tusk (2014)

Kevin Smith is the celebrated filmmaker behind movies like Clerks and Dogma. He was also an early adopter of the podcast platform, hosting the show SModcast with producer Scott Mosier since 2007, as well as branching out into a network of sister shows. In episode 259 of SModcast, the pair discussed an article about an online ad looking for a lodger who wouldn’t have to pay rent – provided they were willing to dress as a walrus. This peculiar posting (which turned out to be a prank) grew in the mind of Smith and eventually turned into horror film Tusk, starring Justin Long as a podcaster who is lured into the strange world of an eccentric sailor (Michael Parks). The dark and disturbing tale also featured Johnny Depp as the detective investigating the case. While not a box office smash, the film has gradually become a cult hit, and there are even discussions surrounding a sequel. 

The Informant! (2009)

While not a direct podcast adaptation, the medium had a big influence on the creation of this Steven Soderbergh comedy. One of the great benefits of podcasts is that they can be enjoyed while doing other things, like working – and that’s exactly what screenwriter Scott Z Burns was doing when he heard a podcast about the story of Mark Whitacre, a whistle-blower who became an informant during a price-fixing scandal in the mid-’90s. Intrigued and wanting to know more, Burns bought Kurt Eichenwald’s book about the incident, and got to work on a screenplay for the film that would star Matt Damon in the title role and become a box office success and Golden Globe nominee. An early example of podcasts influencing big-screen classics before most people were aware of them!

Come Sunday (2018)

Another This American Life adaptation, the podcast itself produced this film about a priest who develops a new way of thinking. Chiwetel Ejiofor takes the lead in a film that is as tense and gripping as the episode it’s adapted from. Described as the best performance of his career by some reviews, the 12 Years a Slave star fully throws himself into a riveting tale about the importance of doing what you believe is right. This American Life partnered with Netflix, another digital disrupter in the entertainment world, showing how new innovations can work together to change the face of culture. The podcast has continued to develop and produce films under its banner, creating a pathway for podcasters to bring their stories to life in a different sphere. 

The Shrink Next Door (2021)

One of the most successful comedy actors of all time, Will Ferrell is also no stranger to podcasts, having resurrected his character Ron Burgundy for a semi-regular series of audio interviews, and started his own podcast network. In 2021, he teamed up with Ant-Man Paul Rudd and Kathryn Hahn (Bad Moms) to produce and star in The Shrink Next Door. The story of a psychiatrist (Rudd) who inserts himself into the life of one of his patients (Ferrell), it was previously a wildly successful podcast series of the same name, and based on true events. Bringing an edgier tone to the funny man’s antics, Ferrell found a new way to entertain by delving into the audio world. 

Sleepwalk with Me (2012)

How does a stand-up show turn into a podcast, and then a movie? Don’t worry, this isn’t the set-up for a joke. Comedian Mike Birbiglia, known for his roles in TV shows Orange Is the New Black and Billions, wrote and performed a one-man show about his early days as a comic. The story featured struggling relationships, stifled ambition and sleep disorders. The amusing and relatable tale was recorded for This American Life, and Birbiglia worked with the show’s host, Ira Glass, to make the movie version. It signalled the stand-up comedian as an actor and filmmaker to look out for, with Birbiglia going on to appear in comedies like Trainwreck and A Man Called Otto alongside Tom Hanks. 

Unaccompanied Minors (2006)

Podcasts were still in their infancy in the mid-2000s, but Hollywood was listening. As we’ve shown, podcast adaptations tend to centre on serious subjects, yet tales with a happier tone can prove just as compelling. This 2006 comedy saw the lighter side of things, loosely based on a podcast about the real-life children who were stuck in an airport during the holiday season while travelling between separated parents. The first comedy by future Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, Unaccompanied Minors is a bouncy, festive adventure beloved among those who love a good holiday film. 

The Dropout (2022)

When it comes to well-researched, well-produced podcasts, the stories are often so incredible, they already feel like a screenplay. That was the case for The Dropout, an audio documentary about the controversy surrounding medical company Theranos, whose groundbreaking new blood test technology wasn’t what it seemed. The story of Theranos, and that of founder Elizabeth Holmes, was turned into a limited series that dramatised the events, casting Amanda Seyfried as Holmes. The series came just four years after the scandal, with Holmes’ sentencing taking place after the series had aired. It goes to show how quickly podcasts can grab hold of audiences’ imaginations and make a story go global. The show would go on to win an Emmy and a Golden Globe – another podcast inspiration that led to awards season glory!   

Man of the People (TBC)

The past is full of characters with epic stories to tell, many of which we’ve never heard. In an innovative move that would make Tony Stark proud, Robert Downey Jr has been developing the drama Man of the People, based on an episode of the popular Reply All podcast that ran from 2014 to 2022, looking at stories that shaped our modern history, usually with a technological element. Given the amount of research that goes into each episode, the resulting stories can often be a movie pitch waiting to happen. In this case, Downey will play John Brinkley, the real-life businessman who became famous for his ‘miracle’ cures that were found to be fraudulent. 

Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra (TBC)

One of the newest forms of entertainment is destined to meet with a master of cinema. Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra is a political history podcast from the famed US news journalist Rachel Maddow. Chock full of lesser-known tales of intrigue and espionage, it chronicles a far-right plot to overthrow the American government in the 1940s – a story that had been consigned to the annals of history. The series has been a big hit for news channel MSNBC and caught the attention of none other than Steven Spielberg, who plans to adapt it into a film. Sounding like a tense thriller in the vein of past Spielberg dramas like Munich or Bridge of Spies, it joins together two giants of media via the creative power of podcasting.