The stories of Archie and his friends are not over yet. A live-action movie adaptation of the comics is in the works at Universal Pictures with Spider-Verse franchise producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller backing the new film with Aditya Sood, president of their production company Lord Miller. They are producing via their first-look deal with the studio.
While plot details for the new film have not been revealed, noted comic book author Tom King is scripting the screenplay for it. The 85-year-old legacy comic has Archie, Betty and Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats and Katy Keene as the lead characters. The comics has sold over 3 billion copies worldwide since its inception and has made an indelible mark on many youngsters.
The characters have appeared on screen many times, with most recent adaptations being Riverdale, the TV take of Archie Comics that spanned 137 episodes on CW. Moreover, the TV series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ran from October 2018 to December 2020 for two seasons on Netflix. The comics also had an Indian live-action adaptation titled The Archies (2023), directed by by Zoya Akhtar, starring Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, Suhana Khan, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi "Dot" Saigal and Yuvraj Menda.
"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 brought the project to Lord and Miller with King and will be backing the yet-to-be-titled film along with publisher Jon Goldwater.
Lord and Miller's next project is Project Hail Mary, the much-anticipated sci-fi headlined by Ryan Gosling which is slated for release in theatres in March 2026. They are also scripting Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, the third and final installment in the Spider-Verse trilogy which will release on June 25, 2027.