The world of Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica is coming to the big screen.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, a feature adaptation of the Archie comic books is in the works at Universal Pictures, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller attached as producers and acclaimed comic book writer Tom King penning the screenplay.
“We are longtime fans of Archie, Veronica, Betty and the gang in all of their iterations. 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,” said Lord and Miller in a statement.
Emma Watts will produce the project after bringing it to Lord and Miller, the duo behind the Spider-Verse movies, 21 Jump Street, and The Lego Movie. Archie Comics CEO and publisher Jon Goldwater will also produce, as will Aditya Sood, president of Lord Miller.
The news comes more than a decade after Warner Bros. tried bringing Archie to the big screen in 2013 with a feature that would have been helmed by Jason Moore and written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. Miramax also tried getting a Betty and Veronica movie off the ground in 2003, but to no avail. Hell, back in the mid-1990s, Universal was developing a live-action Archie movie, so this is sort of a full-circle moment for the studio.
While plot details remain under wraps, trusted insider Jeff Sneider is reporting (via SuperHeroHype) that the movie will be based on the excellent comic book series 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.”
Sneider also reports that Disney Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television Studios are partnering to make a Disney+ show based on Afterlife with Archie, with Aguirre-Sacasa, who created the horror comic, serving as showrunner. The goal is for the series adaptation to get greenlit by next summer.
We’ll keep you posted as both projects move further along in development.
Are you excited for an Afterlife with Archie series? What about an Archie movie?
