It’s a dark time for Monica Raymund.
The 35-year-old half-Dominican American actress and Hightown star will star opposite Corey Stoll and Reid Scott in Dark Woods, a scripted podcast drama series from Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment.
The thriller centers around the suspicious death of a young park volunteer in the California Redwood Forest.
It’s the Law & Order creator’s second foray into the world of scripted podcasts after the launch of Hunted, starring Parker Posey and Brandon Scott, in 2019.
It brings together two actors from the wider Wolf world; Stoll played Detective Tomas Jaruszalski in Law & Order: LA, while Raymund starred as Gabriela Dawson Casey in Chicago Fire.
The series, which launches on November 8, begins when the body of a young volunteer is discovered in the middle of the California redwoods. It brings together two estranged ex-spouses, a stubborn game warden and a charismatic councilwoman, who must put their personal differences aside to learn the terrifying truth about what is happening in their state park. The investigation leads to a surprising twist impacted by illegal marijuana grow sites and a much larger crime organization.
Written by David Pergolini and directed by Takashi Doscher, it is executive-produced by Dick Wolf and Elliot Wolf. The series is produced by Wolf Entertainment and Endeavor Content in association with Waverunner Studios.
The series was recorded remotely with Raymund recording during breaks from Starz’ Hightown, Stoll was in New York and Scott was in LA.
Wolf (right) added that the sound design was key to the audio drama, the idea of creating traditional scenes that would be strong enough to follow along without a visual.
“The goal was to make this as an immersive experience as possible and to make it feel as real life as possible. The actual sound design is largely recorded sounds in the forest. When you hear a coffee mug being picked up, it’s an actual coffee mug,” he said.
