Ashleigh Murray Shows Off Riverdale’s Josie and the Pussycats on Twitter

Ashley Murray, Irie Hayleau, and Ashanti Bromfield will be Riverdale‘s Josie and the Pussycats in 2017, and as the series headed back into production today, Murray shared a photo of the trio — one of the only quasi-official looks at the band yet released.

Riverdale, of course, turns the Archie Comics mythology on its head in January, with secret affairs, murder, and the two best-known pals in town (Archie Andrews and Forsythe “Jughead” Jones) no longer on speaking terms.

If you’re in the local music scene, though, you’re listening to Josie and the Pussycats. Their brief appearance in the pilot (which will air in January on The CW but was screened for fans at Comic Con International: San Diego back in July) paints a pretty specific picture of the role they play in town and the power they wield at Riverdale High.

“I’m so excited!” Murray enthused during a conversation with ComicBook.com at Comic Con International. “I saw the movie and I loved it and what’s nice, because I’ve had people ask me, ‘Is it going to be like the movie?’ Everything we’re doing, and particularly what I’m doing with Josie, is very different. It’s unique to me and to how I view her, also tied in with who she is originally. She’s definitely not ditzy. She’s very determined, she’s very specific about what she wants, she’s very driven, and even with all that ‘girl power,’ she has a weakness. I won’t say what it is, but it’s coming.”

While this version of Josie and her Pussycats might not be what fans expect — they’re the no-mercy queens of the Riverdale music scene, and they’ve got no patience for Archie Andrews for a start — Murray told us that she’s very aware of the legacy she’s contributing to.

“What’s nice is that there is a lot of reception and support of it — not so much that ‘Oh, she’s wiping out the old Josie,’ because that’s not the case,” Murray explained. “I want to draw a lot from where she’s come from, even within the show. I want to be able ot go back to different series or comics and emulate what she’s wearing and be able to tie that in — almost like I’m a reincarnation of Josie for now.”

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 is expected to debut on The CW in January 2017. No official scheduling has yet been made public. You can check out our review of the pilot here.

Later this month, Archie Comics is launching 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.