By Gavin Boyle
Disney+ started work on a new Archie series based on the horror comic, “Afterlife with Archie,” which places the gang at the center of a zombie apocalypse.
“I love horror – I love the genre. And I love the Archie Comic characters,” “Afterlife with Archie” creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Deadline while working on his previous Archie-based horror show, CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA.
Clearly his love for horror in this universe has continued, given that AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE will certainly offer many horror elements. It will also take the franchise in a new direction as it will include a new cast for Archie and his crew following the end of RIVERDALE, which aired on The CW from 2017 through 2023. Hopefully this change will come with an overhaul of the content as well, as the show was extremely excessive with its sexual content – something Aguirre-Sacasa toned down for SABRINA.
Related: Parents Demand Comic-Based TV Shows Tone Down Adult Content
Though AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE will be based on the 2013 comic of the same name, viewers will have little info on where the series is headed given the comic only ran for 10 issues before ending and did not provide readers with a satisfying conclusion to the story.
AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE is not the only Archie-based project currently in the works. Filmmakers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord are also bringing the comic to life in an upcoming movie which is being produced at Universal.
“We are longtime fans of Archie, Veronica, Betty and the gang in all of their iterations,” Lord and Miller said. “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.”
Archie was created in the 1930s when John L. Goldwater wanted to write a comic about everyday people rather than superheroes. The idea was a hit as Goldwater based the story off of his real life friends and happenings during his high school years. Over three billion copies of the comic have been sold in the 85 years since, and the comic has found success overseas as well, with 100 million of those sales coming from India in the past 50 years.
It will be interesting to see where these two projects take the franchise, and if they can continue to connect with audiences as well as previous Archie-based works have been able to.
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