The CW is coming out with all sorts of announcements at this year’s TCA event, but nothing compares to the rising storm that is the Archie Comics Universe. This includes talks for a dark reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, some animated movies…and yes, a musical by Will Ferrell.
At this year’s Riverdale panel, CW President Mark Pedowitz announced that there are discussions about expanding the CW’s Archie Universe into a behemoth of adultish content. Nothing is confirmed yet (Pedowitz asked people to check back in “five to six weeks”), but it’s clear Riverdale‘s teen murder drama isn’t where CW wants its relationship with Archie to end.
Pedowitz and team announced hopes for at least one spinoff. The obvious choice would be Josie and the Pussycats, but they’re already in Riverdale as the show’s in-house “Destiny’s Child,” so that probably wouldn’t happen yet. Instead, the network hopes to reboot Sabrina the Teenage Witch (spoilers: one of my favourite shows of all time). Only instead of Melissa Joan Hart using magic to repair a shredded sweater, this version would be more like Rosemary’s Baby, possibly filmed in Salem itself. I think my brain just exploded from a mix of insane love and hopeless dread.
There are talks of animated films, possibly akin to the animated DC shows they’re doing on CW Seed, as well as a musical by Ferrell and Adam McKay, which is currently being written. No word whether the musical would be televised, like the upcoming Supergirl/Flash crossover, or a live show in itself.
No matter what happens, it looks like Archie is here to stay at The CW, and that might not be as dumb as it sounds. The series’ first live-action rendition is being helmed as a noir mix of Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, only with more teenagers and (hopefully) less violent sex scenes. It’s a bold step in an even bolder direction, and I’m kind of intrigued to see where it goes from here. The Archie Empire could either be bananas, or just about the greatest franchise ever made.
[Decider]