EXCLUSIVE: Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars) and Rob Benedict (The Boys) will lend their voices to Saigon, a new iHeartPodcasts drama based on the bestselling Vietnam-set novel of the same name by Anthony Grey.
The scripted podcast comes from Thoroughbred Studios, which is run by media veterans Jeff Bewkes, Howard Stringer and Jeremy Fox. It produces alongside Goldhawk Productions and the series will launch April 22.
Billed as an epic story of love, war and power set against the backdrop of twentieth-century Vietnam, the series follows Joseph, an American who arrives in a city of glamor and colonial power. He falls in love with a woman whose divided loyalties draw him into a world of revolution and danger.
The saga unfolds across decades, moving from the final days of French colonial rule to the earliest years of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. It weaves together personal stories and real-life historical moments including the burning monk and the bombing of Hanoi. The series will also trace how the Vietnam war had a huge impact back in America.
The project has a personal resonance for several of its participants. “My parents came to the United States as refugees from Vietnam and were separated from their own parents for more than two decades,” said Tran, who serves as narrator. “That experience is what drew me to Saigon—a story about family, distance and the ties that endure across generations. I see my parents as heroes, much like the people you’ll meet in this drama.”
Former Sony boss Stringer said the series brought back powerful memories. “Just six weeks after arriving in America, I was drafted and sent to Vietnam,” he explained. “I could have returned to the UK, but I knew my future lay in the United States and felt a duty to serve. It was my great adventure, and I chose to take that risk — a decision that proved to be both the right choice and a profoundly valuable experience.”
Benedict will play Joseph in the series. “It may be set in the past, but it’s really about people caught in forces much bigger than themselves, trying to hold on to love, identity and truth as the world shifts around them,” he said. “It’s epic in scope, but at its heart it’s deeply human, and that’s what makes it so powerful.”
Saigon comes out of a deal between iHeartPodcasts and Thoroughbred Studios. The pair are working up a slate of podcasts based around key moments in contemporary American history. Their first project was a timely astronaut drama about the life of Buzz Aldrin, Buzz: The Man & The Moon with John Lithgow in the title role. Thoroughbred is also behind podcasts including CIA story Central Intelligence with Kim Cattrall and Ed Harris, which is for the BBC in the UK.
Saigon is directed by John Scott Dryden and episodes will drop weekly on the iHeartRadio app and other podcast and audio streaming platforms.
“Great storytelling has the power to transport listeners and bring history to life in a deeply personal way,” said Will Pearson, President of iHeartPodcasts. “Saigon is exactly the kind of premium storytelling we’re proud to bring to audiences to deliver a story that will resonate with listeners and stay with them long after each episode.”
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