Archie Andrews and his pals are coming back to TV in a new show from the same team behind Riverdale, CW's often bizarre, incredibly melodramatic adaptation of Archie's world. This time though, they're fully embracing a totally different side of Archie as he and the Riverdale gang are beset by zombies in an adaptation of the horror comic Afterlife With Archie (via Deadline).
Created by writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Franceso Francavilla, Afterlife With Archie could be described as something like The Walking Dead if it were set in Riverdale. And though one might think that the story would pull its punches thanks to its roots in the all-ages Archie Comics line, it's a bloody, terrifying horror story that doesn't shy away from its zombie-ness.
"When Jughead's beloved pet Hot Dog is killed in a hit and run, Jughead turns to the only person he knows who can help bring back his canine companion - Sabrina the Teenage Witch," reads the official description of the comic. "Using dark, forbidden magic, Sabrina is successful and Hot Dog returns to the land of the living. But he's not the same... and soon, the darkness he brings back with him from beyond the grave begins to spread, forcing Archie and the gang to try to escape Riverdale!"
Aguirre-Sacasa, who is also chief creative officer for Archie Comics, will join producer Greg Berlanti on the adaptation, after also playing a role in developing Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a comic he also wrote and co-created. Sabrina Spellman also plays a key role in the plot of Afterlife With Archie.
That means this is technically the third recent TV incarnation of Archie and his world. And with a script-to-series commitment on Disney Plus, viewers can already look forward to Afterlife With Archie arriving on streaming as a series of one-hour episodes.
No premiere date has been set. In the meantime, stay up to date on all the upcoming comic book movies in the works.
