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Upgrade Soul

By: Ezra Claytan Daniels
Narrated by: Wendell Pierce, Marcia Gay Harden, Phil LaMarr, Abi Monterey, David Dastmalchian, Lorena Diaz, full cast
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Genetic Engineering
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Episodes
  • Trailer

    Trailer
    Oct 25 2022
    For their 45th anniversary, wealthy science buffs Hank and Molly Nonnar decide to fund an experimental rejuvenation procedure, with only one condition: that they be the first subjects. The fact is Hank and Molly are getting old, and the new procedure, called Upgrade Cell, seems to be just what they’re looking for. It’s a novel gene therapy that’s supposed to increase its recipients’ lifespans and enhance their intelligence. But Molly and Hank’s procedure goes horribly wrong. Instead of becoming younger and healthier, they are left with severely disfigured, though intellectually and physically superior clones of themselves. And a psychological battle of moral fortitude begins. Upgrade Soul is an audio-drama adaptation of the critically-acclaimed science fiction graphic novel by author Ezra Claytan Daniels. Wendell Pierce (Suits, Jack Ryan) stars as Hank alongside Marcia Gay Harden (Uncoupled, So He Told Me) as Molly. Upgrade Soul effortlessly weaves a story of transhumanism, horror, suspense, moral and ethical dilemmas, love, and betrayal into one epically thrilling tale. Are the newer, better versions of Hank and Molly still them? Or something far worse?
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    1 min
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  • EPISODE 1 Risk Appetite

    EPISODE 1 Risk Appetite
    Nov 3 2022
    Wealthy retirees Hank and Molly are early investors in an experimental gene therapy technology. When their confidence in the project wains, its mastermind, Kenton, reveals a shocking—and thoroughly reinvigorating—secret.
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    31 mins
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  • EPISODE 2 Proof of Concept

    EPISODE 2 Proof of Concept
    Nov 3 2022
    Hank and Molly witness firsthand how far off the rails things are when they insist on being Kenton’s first human test subjects. Meanwhile Kenton’s younger sister Lina—for whom the technology was originally developed—grapples with being pushed aside.
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    36 mins
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About the Creator

Ezra Claytan Daniels is a mixed-race (Black/white) American multidisciplinary artist and creator of the award-winning graphic novels, Upgrade Soul and BTTM FDRS. Ezra’s work has been featured on the Criterion Channel, at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, and is in the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum. Ezra currently resides in Los Angeles, where he writes for film and television, including Doom Patrol, for HBO Max, and Amazon Prime's Night Sky, starring Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons.

Wendell Pierce
Maria Gay Harden
Phil LaMarr
Abi Monterey
David Dastmalchian
Lorena Diaz
Additional Credits

About the Performer

Wendell Pierce is a prolific award-winning actor with a body of work on stage, television, and film for more than three decades. Universally hailed for his portrayal of ‘Det. Bunk Moreland’ on HBO’s groundbreaking series The Wire, Mr. Pierce was also praised for his starring role of 'Antoine Baptiste' on David Simon’s critically acclaimed series, Treme.
In film, Wendell’s wide-ranging work includes Ava Duvernay’s Selma, Taylor Hackford’s Ray, Spike Lee’s Malcolm X and Get On The Bus, Forest Whittaker’s Waiting To Exhale, and Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner Clemency, to name a few.
He currently stars as ‘James Greer’ in Amazon’s international hit series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, alongside John Krasinski. Mr. Pierce returned to Broadway starting September 2022 to reprise his portrayal of 'Willy Loman' in Death of a Salesman after receiving a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play in London for the West End production.

About the Performer

Academy Award-winning and Emmy nominated actress Marcia Gay Harden has forged an incomparable body of work, and like a chameleon she transforms into each character she plays. Her critically lauded performances are myriad—from glamorous Ava Gardner in Sinatra, to artist Lee Krasner in Pollock (winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress), to the down-and-out Celeste in Mystic River (Oscar-nominated in the same category)—and her versatility has been praised in other films such as Miller’s Crossing, The First Wives Club, Meet Joe Black, Mona Lisa Smile, The Hoax, and Used People.
She most recently earned an Emmy nomination for Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her recurring role on the Golden Globe-nominated series The Morning Show on Apple+ opposite Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
Harden will next star in the mother/son dramedy So Help Me Todd with Skylar Astin premiering September 29, 2022 on CBS. She will play Margaret Wright, a meticulous attorney who hires her scruffy PI son (Astin) as an investigator. Harden also starred in Netflix's comedy series, co-created by Darren Star and Jeffrey Richman, Uncoupled, opposite Neil Patrick Harris. She plays a socialite in the middle of a bitter divorce who commiserates with Neil’s character when he’s blindsided by his husband walking out on him.
On the film side, Harden can be seen in Roadside’s Gigi & Nate with Jim Belushi, Josephine Langford and Charlie Rowe, along with Greg Mattola’s Confess, Fletch opposite Jon Hamm. Harden will star in the MarVista and Particular Crowd’s co-production of the upcoming family comedy, Daughter of the Bride. The film also stars Halston Sage from Fox’s Prodigal Son. The film follows the two as a mother-daughter duo who are inseparable, yet their lives are turned upside down when one announces her engagement to a mystery man.
Other recent credits include Netflix’s Amy Poehler-directed comedy Moxie, alongside Ike Barinholtz, Clark Gregg, and Josephine Langford, and writer/director Kelly Oxford’s drama Pink Skies Ahead, opposite Henry Winkler, Jessica Barden, and Rosa Salazar. Harden also starred in NatGeo’s 2020 drama Barkskins, based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Proulx.
In 2019 Harden starred in the Lifetime telefilm Love You To Death, a psychologically-tinged drama inspired by the true story of the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, and Netflix’s Point Blank, an action thriller co-starring Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie about a nurse who saves the life of a criminal and must help plan the patient’s escape in order to save his kidnapped wife.
Her three-season run as Dr. Leanne Rorish in the CBS drama Code Black resulted in a People's Choice Award as Favorite Actress in a New TV Series nomination. Past television appearances include a memorable arc on ABC’s hit drama How To Get Away With Murder, Elsa & Fred with Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer; the ABC comedy series Trophy Wife, which starred Malin Ackerman, Bradley Whitford, and Michaela Watkins; Lifetime’s The Amanda Knox Story, playing Amanda’s mother Edda Mellas opposite Hayden Panettiere; the critically acclaimed FX drama Damages opposite William Hurt and Glenn Close; and as First Amendment attorney Rebecca Halliday in a critically acclaimed guest star role on Aaron Sorkin’s former HBO series The Newsroom. In 2009, she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her role in The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler. She also received an Emmy nomination for her guest appearance on Law and Order: SVU in 2007.
On the big screen she reprised her role as Christian Grey’s mother in Universal’s Fifty Shades Freed in 2018, following Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker, the trilogy grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide. Notable past films include the Paul Weitz comedy Grandma, starring alongside Lily Tomlin; After Words, a romantic adventure shot on location in Costa Rica; Parkland, with Billy Bob Thornton, Paul Giamatti, and Ron Livingston; If I Were You, co-starring Aidan Quinn; Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You, with Peter Gallagher and Ellen Burstyn; Detachment, co-starring Adrien Brody, Christina Hendricks and Lucy Liu; American Gun with Forest Whitaker, which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination; Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It with Elliot Page, in which her daughter Eulala Scheel also had a co-starring role; Frank Darabont’s The Mist; Sean Penn’s Into the Wild; Richard Linklater’s Bad News Bears with Billy Bob Thornton and Greg Kinnear; Mike Newell’s Mona Lisa Smile with Julia Roberts and Kirsten Dunst; Clint Eastwood’s Academy Award-nominated Mystic River with Sean Penn and Tim Robbins; Meet Joe Black with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins; The First Wives Club with Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn; The Christmas Cottage with Peter O’Toole; and Joel Coen’s Miller’s Crossing.
Adding author to her professional oeuvre, Harden saw the publication of The Seasons of My Mother, A Memoir of Love, Family, and Flowers (Atria/Simon & Schuster) in 2018. It is a poignant personal story which Publishers Weekly called a "graceful memoir."
Harden has chosen a life away from mainstream Hollywood, moving between independent and studio films, and between television and theatre. In 2011 she reprised the role she originated on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning play God of Carnage alongside the original cast with a tremendously successful stage run at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. In 2009, it was her exceptional Broadway performance in this starring role that earned a Best Actress Tony Award. Her fellow-nominated stars in the play included James Gandolfini, Hope Davis, and Jeff Daniels. Harden also received an Outer Circle Critics Award for her performance, as well as nominations from the Drama Desk and Drama League. She also received a Tony nomination for Angels in America (for which she won the Drama Desk and Theatre World Awards). In the summer of 2017, she made her UK theatre debut starring at Alexandra in the Chichester Theatre Festival’s production of Sweet Bird of Youth.
Harden graduated from the University of Texas with a B.A. in Theatre and an MFA from the Graduate Acting program at New York University.

About the Performer

A Los Angeles native and alum of Yale and The Groundlings Theater, Phil LaMarr has thrilled audiences with his work on camera and behind the mic. He was an original cast member of MadTV and starred in the film Pulp Fiction as Marvin. His extensive voice-over work includes Hermes on the long-running animated series Futurama and Family Guy. His other TV roles Supergirl, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Phil can also be heard in such films as The Lion King, Madagascar 2, and Incredibles 2. He also writes and produces the animated series Goblins, and performs improv monthly with "THE BLACK VERSION." He is currently recording new episodes of Futurama.

About the Performer

In 2020, Monterey can be seen starring in season two of DC Universe’s hit series, Doom Patrol, opposite Diane Guerrero and Matt Bomer. The series follows a group of five seemingly unrelated, outcast superheroes, assembled and led by modern-day scientist Dr. Niles Caulder AKA 'The Chief'. Part support group, part superhero team, these superheroes have all suffered traumatic, near-fatal accidents that have given them newfound superhuman abilities and band together to fight for a world that wants nothing to do with them. Monterey is a scene-stealer as Dorothy Spinner, the mysterious daughter of The Chief, who now must now go to even greater lengths to protect her and her supernatural abilities from the world. Doom Patrol returns for season two in 2020 on DC Universe and HBO Max on June 25, 2020.

About the Performer

Award winning actor, writer, and producer David Dastmalchian got his big break in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight in 2008 then made his mark in the DC Universe starring as the iconic Polka-Dot Man in James Gunn’s 2020 The Suicide Squad. Most recently he was seen on the big screen as Piter De Vries in Dune directed by Denis Villeneuve. Previous film and television credits include: Prisoners, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Birdbox, Blade Runner 2049, Twin Peaks, Gotham, and The Flash.
Dastmalchian made his screenwriting debut with Animals in 2014 followed up by his 2018 indie darling All Creatures Here Below which he wrote and starred in. Currently he authors a comic book series, Count Crowley: Amatoure Midnight Monster Hunter with Dark Horse Comics.
Dastmalchian can be seen in Last Voyage of the Demeter, Stephen King’s Boogeyman, Boston Strangler, Late Night with the Devil, and Chirstopher Nolan’s Oppendhiemer, all slated for release in 2023.

About the Performer

Lorena Diaz was born in Venezuela, raised in Miami and was "made in Chicago". She's been a working artist in Chicago for over 13 years, performing with 16th Street Theatre, Goodman's New Works endeavors and respectively at The Second City, iO Chicago and the Playground Theatre. She is best known for her work as the snarky Nurse Doris on Dick Wolf's Chicago Med| Fire| PD franchise and is one half of the critically acclaimed comedy duo DOMINIZUELAN who teamed up with Fred Armisen and Mas Mejor Productions to co-write and star in the Dominizuelan Consulate, a comedy about two best friends. Lorena is the co Artistic Director of Teatro Vista in Chicago.

Interview: Upgrade Soul Is a Story that Refuses to Be Contained

Upgrade Soul
'I love working in a narrow lane and seeing how far I can push against the edges.'
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  • Upgrade Soul
  • 'I love working in a narrow lane and seeing how far I can push against the edges.'

Featured Article: Best of the Year—The 12 Best Sci-Fi Listens of 2022


This year’s sci-fi didn’t shy away from heavy, timely topics like climate change, pandemics, and social justice, but even as the subject matter hit close to home, the listening reached to new heights. Several stunning multicast productions make up this list—as well as narrators we can’t hear enough of. In a world that seems increasingly science fictional by the year, the bar is only set higher for creators in this genre—and this year’s list inches it up a little more.

Featured Article Best of the Year The 12 Best Sci-Fi Listens of 2022

What listeners say about Upgrade Soul

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Uh it was ok

actors did a good job just story was a little flat, was just missing something

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Profile Image for David Rasko

Ok story, excellent narration

Overall the storyline was just ok, not a lot of depth or novelty, but the narration was top notch.

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Profile Image for Rebecca

Kept my interest

I guess it wasn’t excellent, some of the voice acting was stiff, but in general I was kept interested…I was disappointed in the development of some of the characters, but if I explain why, it would spoil the plot.
It’s kind of a mad scientist losing sight of any moral compass in pursuit of an aim that began as something at least intended to do good. It devolves rapidly, with lots of holes, into madness. Even the ostensibly good characters are eventually corrupted by bad science and turn into bad guys.
Maybe I was a bit too generous with the stars because it kept my mind off of reality for a few hours.

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Profile Image for Roger

A story coming to life

It was a good story, Well delivered, kept me engaged from beginning to end! "Another good find" I said to myself. Thoroughly enjoyed it!÷

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Profile Image for Lady T

Okay Story

it started out very good and interesting. Then the story got a little boring.

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Profile Image for Marina and Bruce

It was great!

Molly's voice actor's voice was the best! I really enjoyed listening to this story. Great production. Thank you all.

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

pretty good.

I'm at the end of episode two. so far the story is good. the narrators are good. enjoyable and gets better as it goes along.

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Profile Image for Daniel Burwen

Great adaptation for a ground breaking story

I first encountered Upgrade Soul as a ground breaking interactive comics app. Then I read it in print. To see if translated into a fully scored and sound designed audio experience is a revelation - the characters come alive in an incredibly rich and detailed way, the environments create rich atmosphere. A treat - even if this is your first introduction to this ground breaking and highly entertaining story.

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Profile Image for Lita Martin

Pondering Deeply

This is such a deep story of love, betrayal, the possible ramifications of experimental science, and "normal."

Most people are stuck in what we want to define as normal. How people should look perfect, be a certain color, have perfect skin tone, act and think a certain way, etc. However, EVERY SINGLE PERSON IS DIFFERENT! We need to be different from each other.

The actors were impressive in their portrayals of the characters the author so well developed.

Thank you, for giving me something to think deeply about.

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Profile Image for Shaked Lotan

Great story, fantastic format!

This book's format is what gives it its uniqueness - not being read by a narrator but played like a TV show. They did a great job here, even if sometimes it takes time until you understand who's talking to who and on what timeline.
The story is a great one, but honestly not the best one I've heard.
Still, a great listen, extremely engaging and more than recommended.

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1 person found this helpful