Archie Comics are going where they’ve never gone before…
Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead have been through a lot in the past year. In December, the beloved comic’s publishers announced a major design update to the characters, and a series relaunch in honor of Archie‘s 75th anniversary. Last month, the comic’s publishers debuted the series makeover at Comic Con — where long-time fans were met with some very unfamiliar faces. And now, in an unexpected turn of events, Archie and the rest of the Riverdale crew are heading to the Broadway stage.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Archie is officially getting the musical treatment thanks to a collaboration between writer/director Adam McKay and comedy website Funny or Die (which McKay co-created with Will Ferrell). With McKay at the reigns, an Archie musical is destined to be a ton of fun and just the right amount of NSFW — and we couldn’t be more excited to see it.
For those unfamiliar, McKay is perhaps best known for his collaborations with Ferrell, including Anchorman, Step Brothers, and Talladega Nights. He also just so happens to be a former head writer for Saturday Night Live, and most recently, he co-wrote the screenplay for Ant-Man. His stage credits include directing and co-writing 2009’s You’re Welcome America — so, obviously, he’s more than qualified to tackle this project.
“Archie represents a bygone era of America, and like all bygone eras, there are elements we miss and elements that should be bygone,” McKay told The Hollywood Reporter. “This will be a musical that deals with both those realities in a bright, colorful and slightly demented way.”
It isn’t the first time that Archie has moved from the page to other mediums. In the past, it’s been adapted into several animated series and a couple live-action specials — including a ’90s TV movie called Archie: to Riverdale and Back Again, about the gang’s high school reunion when they’re all in their 30s. Allegedly, a live-action, one-hour drama based on the series is currently in the works at the CW — but a full-length musical is definitely a first for Archie.
“We’ve always thought that Archie was destined to be a big Broadway star – and now that moment has come!” CEO and publisher of Archie Comics, Jon Goldwater, told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve long admired Adam’s work and the pairing of Archie’s world with his brilliant humor and sensibility is the perfect fit. We look forward to developing this project together with this incredible team.”
The musical is set to debut in New York, and we can’t wait. There’s no word on the cast yet — but we’re already dreaming up the kinds of songs the musical might include. Fingers crossed that Jughead gets to sing a love ballad about food.
(Image via Ken Brown/iStock.)
We’re still getting used to what Archie looks like now. Give us time.
