Riverdale might be in the middle of its summer hiatus, but it sounds like double dose of Archie Comics-inspired television could soon be on the horizon.
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Last September, it was announced that Archie’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comic was being adapted into a live-action series, initially as a direct The CW spinoff to Riverdale. In the months since, the dark retelling of Sabrina the Teenage Witch has gotten a heck of a lot of casting news, teases, and other updates — and a move to Netflix — which some fans might find a little hard to keep track of.
But thankfully, ComicBook.com is here to help. Read on to find out what you need to know about Chilling Adventures‘ first season, and why you should be pretty excited about the series.
The Source Material
As previously mentioned, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will serve as an adaptation of the comic of the same name, which began being published in October 2014.
The comic series is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who has since gone on to showrun both Riverdale and Chilling Adventures, and illustrated by Robert Hack. The 1960s-set comic follows a young Sabrina Spellman, who must decide whether or not to fully become a witch on her sixteenth birthday, or live a mortal life with her boyfriend (more on him in a minute).
In the process, there are portals from hell, mysterious returns, and a heck of a lot of gothic horror elements. And the end result was pretty darn successful, with the first few issues selling out of their first printings. In the years since, subsequent issues have been published somewhat infrequently, but Aguirre-Sacasa has expressed an interest in developing a more consistent schedule.
At the moment, it’s unknown exactly what plot points of the Chilling Adventures comic will come into the series, although some casting points seem to provide hints.
The Network
Even though Chilling Adventures was initially developed by The CW, the series quickly evolved into another sort of property.
In December of 2017, it was revealed that Chilling Adventures was actually being passed on by The CW, and would instead be picked up for a two-season commitment on Netflix. While the announcement initially took fans by surprise, it sounds like the decision made a lot of sense overall.
“I was aware, I was deeply involved with [WBTV president] Peter [Roth] on the whole thing.” The CW president Mark Pedowitz said back in January. “It was a decision which I understood from a business point of view. Netflix offered them a two-year deal, we weren’t going to do that. Netflix has had great success and should get some credit for helping us get Riverdale binged, and our guys get a lot of credit from bringing the guys who binged [on Netflix] back to the network and our digital site. I wish them the best.”
And as Pedowitz was quick to confirm, The CW passing on Sabrina actually didn’t have to do with the network’s upcoming Charmed reboot.
“The real similarities between the two shows is witches,” Pedowitz clarified. “They were very different concepts in how they will be handled — one has Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s patina to it, one has Jenny Urman’s — very different storytellers, very different versions of what the show should be.”
Sabrina Spellman
In the months since Chilling Adventures was first announced to be in development, fans had plenty of ideas in mind of who would play the series’ titular character. Some rumors began to pop up here and there, with some even believing that Selena Gomez had been cast in the part.
On January 5th, fans finally got their answer, when Kiernan Shipka was officially cast as Sabrina Spellman. Shipka, who is best known for her role as Mad Men‘s Sally Draper, took on the role for a very specific set of reasons.
“After I read the script, I became immediately obsessed with the role, with how Sabrina is portrayed and how badass the whole thing is,” Shipka told ComicBook.com in an interview earlier this year. “It’s going to be really dark and really cool, and have this very like macabre take on everything. I’m really pumped to be a witch. Who wouldn’t be?”
According to a character description that was released with Shipka’s casting, her version of Sabrina will be “an empowered young woman, half-human, half-witch, [who] is just beginning her dark education as a sorceress, even as she tries to maintain a normal life as a sophomore at Baxter High. Intelligent, compassionate and brave to the point of recklessness, Sabrina is all that stands between us and the forces of darkness that threaten our world.”
Sabrina’s Family
As those who have picked up an Archie comic – or tuned into the Melissa Joan Hart-led Sabrina the Teenage Witch series – know, Sabrina’s family plays a pretty integral role in her story.
Sabrina’s cousin, Ambrose, was cast first, and will be played by Midsomer Murders and Hetty Feather alum Chance Perdomo. Ambrose is described as a “witty, puckish, and pansexual” warlock, who is placed under house arrest by the Witches Council and forced to live with the Spellmans.
Soon after, Sabrina’s aunts began to be cast as well, with Wonder Woman‘s Lucy Davis set to play Aunt Hilda. According to her character breakdown, Hilda is “more nurturing than Zelda”, with “a motherly nature and warm sense of humor [that] belie a wicked, ghoulish streak.”
Days later, Lord of the Rings alum Miranda Otto joined the cast as Aunt Zelda. Much like in previous incarnations of Sabrina, Zelda will be “Sabrina’s sterner witch aunt”, who is “proud and devout” and “believes there is no greater honor than serving the Dark Lord as a member of the Church of Night.”
And don’t fret, Chilling Adventures will definitely feature Sabrina’s beloved black cat, Salem. Time will only tell if he ends up spouting witty lines like his previous TV counterpart.
Sabrina’s Friends
Aside from the Spellman family any of the series’ casting announcements have also included Sabrina’s friends and classmates.
Jaz Sinclair (Paper Towns, The Vampire Diaries) was the first to be cast, playing the relatively obscure comic character of Rosalind Walker. In the television version, Rosalind will be “the brash, empowered, and outspoken daughter of Greendale’s minister”, and a previous rumor suggested that she might be losing her eyesight.
And perhaps the most significant casting in recent months was Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally, My Friend Dahmer), who is set to play Sabrina’s fan-favorite love interest, Harvey Kinkle. Harvey will reportedly be “the Prince Charming of this dark fairy tale… a dreamboat and a dreamer [who is] completely unaware of the dark forces conspiring to keep him and Sabrina apart.”
The Villains
Outside of that, it looks like there will be several different antagonists for Sabrina to face off against.
The first to be cast was Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who, Gotham), who will play Mary Wardell/Madam Satan. Described as “Sabrina’s favorite teacher and mentor”, she quickly becomes “a sultry, cunning manipulator” when possessed by the Devil’s handmaiden.
When it comes to Sabrina’s school life, it sounds like she will have more than Madam Satan to deal with. Bronson Pinchot (Perfect Strangers) is set to play Principal Hawthorne, while Tati Gabrielle (The 100, The Emoji Movie) will play Prudence, the leader of a trio of rival witches known as the Weird Sisters.
Also among the cast is Richard Coyle (Covert Affairs, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time), who will play Father Blackwood, the High Priest of the Church of Night with a “terrifying dark agenda”.
No Crossovers (For Now)
Even though the series was initially developed as a Riverdale spinoff – after rumors of Sabrina appearing on that flagship show – it sounds like crossovers aren’t immediately in the cards.
The topic of crossovers has been addressed quite a bit over the past few months, with multiple people confirming that it won’t happen anytime soon.
“I think Betty’s solely in the Riverdale world and it doesn’t make sense for a crossover.” Riverdale star Lili Reinhart explained back in February. “That’s why the decision was ultimately made to move to Netflix — to make these Riverdale and Sabrina shows completely separate universes. I don’t really know what Roberto’s plan is for Sabrina or what aspect of the supernatural or magic will be used. I know that doesn’t exist in Riverdale. At least right now. So it wouldn’t make sense for those two worlds to collide.”
So for now, it sounds like Riverdale and Sabrina won’t be crossing paths in the immediate future. But hey, that probably won’t stop fans from drawing parallels between the shows (particularly in the aesthetic of their male leads).
The Release Date
Even with so much already known about Chilling Adventures, one thing remains somewhat of a mystery — the show’s release date.
For the most part, teases about the show’s official premiere have been relatively slim, aside from one tweet suggesting it would happen sometime this year. And with the series essentially filming since January, it totally seems possible that the first batch of episodes could debut before the year’s end.
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Are you excited to see Chilling Adventures of Sabrina hit the small screen? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
