Archie Comics and its various spin-offs have remained incredibly popular over the years (it's been over 8 decades since the first publication), and The CW's Riverdale series introduced a new generation to Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and friends.
It was probably only a matter of time before the property was revisited, and we now have word on two separate projects currently in development for the big and small screens.
First reported by Jeff Sneider in his newsletter and since backed-up by the trades, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are set to produce an Archie movie for Universal Pictures, with Comic book writer Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) on board to pen the script.
“We are longtime fans of Archie, Veronica, Betty, and the gang in all of their iterations,” said Lord and Miller in a statement. “When we heard Tom King’s take on the classic material, we instantly thought it made sense as an event movie for all audiences—both lifelong fans and a whole new generation. We’re so excited to bring these beloved characters to the big screen.”
It's unclear if the movie will be animated or live-action (we get the impression it's the latter), but Sneider has heard that the story will be "inspired, in part, by the comic book Archie: The Married Life, which presents Archie with two alternate futures — one in which he marries girl-next-door Betty Cooper, and one where he marries sexy heiress Veronica Lodge."
Emma Watts will produce the project, along with Archie Comics CEO and publisher Jon Goldwater, and Aditya Sood, president of Lord Miller. Universal Pictures’ Britt Hennemuth and Christine Sun will oversee the feature for the studio.
Sneider also brings word on a new Disney+ series, but, like Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, this will have horror elements. Apparently, the show will be based on Afterlife With Archie, which sees the town of Riverdale besieged by a zombie invasion.
Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa will reportedly serve as showrunner on Afterlife, which was said to be "aggressively pursued by both Netflix and Amazon."
What do you make of this news? Any Archie Comics fans out there? Drop us a comment down below.
"Archie’s highly acclaimed graphic novel series for older readers features Paul Kupperberg’s intricately-interwoven ongoing romantic storylines of Archie as a young newlywed in two very different universes–one where he marries wealthy socialite Veronica Lodge and the other where he marries girl-next-door Betty Cooper."