At the end of January there was plenty of news revolving around television pilots for the upcoming viewing season. One of the networks that picked up a number of new pilots for the upcoming television season was The CW, but perhaps one of the most interesting of those is the forthcoming, Riverdale, which is based around the world of the Archie Comics. According to Entertainment Weekly, there is some casting news which has come down for two of the four main characters.
Riverdale casts its first two lead characters
First up is Cole Sprouse of Disney’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, who has apparently been cast as Jughead Jones. For those unfamiliar with the Archie characters, Jughead is Archie’s best friend who is often described as gluttonous and even lazy.
The second Riverdale character to be cast is Betty Cooper, the quintessential girl next door, who will be portrayed by Lili Reinhart. Viewers might recognize her from her recent turns in The Kings of Summer as well as Surviving Jack. In the Archie comics, Betty has always been shown having a rather unrequited crush on the lead character, Archie.
The pilot for Riverdale features the executive producing talents of Sarah Schechter and Greg Berlanti. They are being joined by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the CCO of Archie Comics and Jon Goldwater, the CEO of Archie Comics.
With this reimagining of the Archie Comics, Riverdale will be set in the present day. In the release explaining what the series will be about, the network described the show as a rather surprising and even subversive interpretation of the lives of Archie, Jughead, Veronica and Betty, as well as their friends. The idea behind the series is to showcase the type of surrealism that seems to exist within small town life. It is an attempt to get below the surface and see the overall weirdness and even darkness that seems to bubble below the facade that is Riverdale and its wholesome image.
Although this is certainly not the first comic book based series to be brought to life for the small screen, it is definitely not the usual fare. Instead of superheroes and villains, these are what one might consider average teenagers going through their every day life and schooling.
While Sprouse and Reinhart were the first people cast in the new series, there are still plenty of characters to be cast, including Archie himself and Veronica. Fans of the original comics will just have to wait to see who will be bringing Archie to life in the new series.
What do you think of the idea of Riverdale? Are you looking forward to Archie being brought to the small screen? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
By Dorothea James
Image Courtesy Veronica Fish/CW