There’s going to be a Bollywood-style “Archie” movie which means that yes, Jughead is going to sing
Ladies and gents, we might be reaching peak Archie, which is not something I ever expected to say in my lifetime. The legendary Archie Comics has been around for over 75 years and has been a fixture in American pop culture for all of our lives, and that kind of longevity is extremely impressive. Archie Andrews even got a modern update recently with The CW’s Riverdale (Archie’s got abs, y’all!) and the upcoming Netflix/Sabrina spinoff. But the Archie Comics brand isn’t stopping there.
It was announced today that Archie Comics is teaming up with India entertainment company Graphic India to develop a live-action, theatrical film based on the iconic Archie characters…but this time they’re doing it Bollywood-style. Yeah, you read that right. Bollywood versions of Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper are coming at us, if you can even imagine that! The film is still in the very early stages of development, though so there’s no telling when it will hit theaters, but this news is just insane enough to keep us going for a while.
The movie is also making history, since it’s going to be the first international comic to be translated for Indian screens. Described as a “modern, entertaining screenplay that will surely resonate with longtime Archie fans in India and beyond,” the Bollywood movie will reimagine Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Moose and Jughead as Indians.
While Archie and Bollywood may seem like two wildly different things, it turns out that the core four Archie characters have “been a source of inspiration for numerous Bollywood films over the years,” according to Sharad Devarajan, Co-Founder & CEO of Graphic India. So it actually makes a lot of sense that a Bollywood version of Archie would be the next step.
“We are supremely excited to partner with the great team at Graphic India to bring Archie and his friends to Bollywood,” Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater says in a statement. “Archie’s lasting and growing presence in India made this move the logical next step as our stellar library of characters continues to expand into other media. It’s a major moment for Archie and its fans around the world.”
The Archie Bollywood movie release will be announced at a later date, but we’re already daydreaming about the amazing dance numbers we’re going to get.