Riverdale was just the beginning as Archie Comics has announced they’ll continue their expansion in the world of television under a brand new exclusive deal with Warner Bros. Television to develop new original programming and content based on the publisher’s vast catalog of characters and properties.
This move is one that has been in the works for years as the publisher has launched stories and series like Afterlife With Archie and the relaunched Archie series to bring their characters back into the spotlight and into modern types of stories.
“For years, people have been saying ‘Wow, Archie is making moves. They’re fearless. They’re trying new things.’ This is what happened next,” said Archie Comics CEO/Publisher Jon Goldwater in the release.“We were redefining the brand by being daring and by, at the same time, protecting the integrity of the characters. As long as Archie is Archie and his friends are true to their characters, you can do anything with them. That’s what really opened up people’s eyes to their potential, and it’s a direct path to where we are today, which is having a Riverdale TV series on the CW and a new deal with Warners. The sky’s the limit here.”
While the details of what types of shows this deal might bring aren’t being revealed at this point, previously it was reported that a reinvention of Sabrina the Teenage Witch could be in the works and that at some point even Josie and the Pussycats could potentially get their own series.
The Walking Dead is the leader when it comes to zombie based television at the moment, but that doesn’t mean that an adaptation of Afterlife With Archie wouldn’t be able to find a home out there as well. Those are just some of the options that the company will have going forward deeper into the world of television.
Reinvention at the comic book level isn’t going to stop though, even as more eyes are turned towards the world of television, as the publisher has also announced a much bigger role for writer Mark Waid.
Having made a mark on characters like the Flash, Daredevil and The Avengers and many others over the years, Waid played a huge part in the reboot of the entire Archie Comics line with his work on the main Archie series over the last two years. That role will expand as going forward he’ll be writing more titles for the publisher and will also now serve as a writing mentor for the company’s young and upcoming talent.
That new role for Waid will begin in May as he will take over as the Jughead title with his new co-writer Ian Flynn and artist Derek Cham.
“This opportunity is exciting to me for a number of reasons,” Waid said. “First, the chance to expand my role as a writer at Archie is terrific as we all share the same storytelling goals. Second, it allows me to exercise my editorial muscles, which–surprise–is why I got into comics in the first place. But most of all, the opportunity to help build a more diverse staff of writers, younger, eager to learn, and eager to teach me.”
Other titles and other co-writers for Waid will be announced later in the year.
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