When you think of Riverdale, you think of Archie Andrews — although the forthcoming adaptation on The CW may change that imrpession, somewhat.
Calling the series Riverdale is “is a very intentional thing,” Cole Sprouse — the actor who plays Jughead on the series — told us. It’s about more than just Archie and Jughead.
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One major player in the series is Josie McCoy — of Josie and the Pussycats fame — whose mother is the mayor and who, along with Cheryl Blossom — are kind of the queens of Riverdale High.
While this version of Josie and her Pussycats might not be what fans expect — they’re the no-mercy champions of the Riverdale music scene — Murray told us that she’s very aware of the legacy she’s contributing to. As for Archie Andrews? Well…
“We don’t have time for Archie, especially me,” Murray told us during a conversation at Comic Con International: San Diego. “Archie’s a threat. Josie and her Pussycats are A-list in Riverdale. We’re where it’s at. Everybody knows if they want to have a good time, if they want their party to be poppin’ with live music, it’s got to be the Pussycats. So when this hot, good-looking guy shows up who happens to be talented and wants my guidance, it creates this dynamic of where I start to get nervous. There’s also that issue with my Pussycats thinking he’s cute, so there’s some defiance going on and a crumbling in the empire.”
Could that relationship change, down the line?
“I’m not really sure whether or not Josie and Archie are ever going to come to a common ground,” Murray told ComicBook.com. “I personally would like that to happen because it’s super hard to be mean to KJ [Apa].”
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Riverdale stars KJ Apa as Archie, Cole Sprouse as Jughead, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camilla Mendes as Veronica Lodge, and Luke Perry as Archie’s father Fred Andrews, among others. The series’ showrunner is Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Archie Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer and the writer of Afterlife With Archie, the publisher’s wildly popular zombie series.
Riverdale will debut on January 27, 2016, on The CW. You can check out our review of the pilot here.
Earlier this year, Archie Comics launched a new series for Josie and the Pussycats. You can check out our review of the first issue here, and an interview with the writers here.