Disney+ Developing New “Afterlife With Archie” Series
After the huge success of “Riverdale”, which was a live-action adaptation of the “Archie” comic book series, Disney is looking to bring the character to Disney+ with a new live-action series based on the “Afterlife With Archie” series.
The comic book series is based on the Archie Comics characters and re-imagines the beloved town of Riverdale as an apocalyptic, nightmare-fueled hellscape overrun with flesh-eating zombies.
In the comic book, it tells the story of what happened 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 furry best friend – Sabrina the Teenage Witch. 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, Betty, Veronica and the gang to try to escape from Riverdale!
According to Deadline, the project is still in early development and has already been given a script-to-series commitment.
The comic book series has been written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla. The new series is being created by Roberto and Greg Berlanti, who both have an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television, which will be making the show for Disney+. The pair were also behind Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina”.
Aguirre-Sacasa and Jimmy Gibbons executive produce via Aguirre-Sacasa’s Muckle Man Productions; Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman executive produce for Berlanti Productions; Jon Goldwater executive produces via Archie Comics Studios.
Roger’s Take: Disney has been having lots of success with horror-themed shows that are targeted towards a younger audience, such as “ZOMBIES”, “Goosebumps” and “Marvel ZOMBIES”, so it doesn’t come as a huge surprise to see Disney looking for something different to reach the next generation of fans. Disney is also looking for alternative established franchises to connect with audiences, so doing a “What If? Zombie-style series featuring Archie and gang could potentially be a hit, especially given the success of “Riverdale” and “Sabrina”.
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