‘Archie’ Movie in the Works at Universal

Phil Lord & Chris Miller are Producing an ‘Archie’ Movie for Universal

‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ comics writer Tom King is aboard to script the latest iteration of the Riverdale gang’s cinematic adventures at the studio.

(Left) Phil Lord on the set of '21 Jump Street.' Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing. (Center) Archie Andrews from 'The Archie Show'. Photo: CBS. (Right) Chris Miller on the set of '21 Jump Street.' Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Preview:

A movie based on ‘Archie’ comics is in the works at Universal.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller are producing the movie.
The script comes from ‘Superwoman: Woman of Tomorrow’ comic writer Tom King.

While current audiences might be most familiar with the ‘Archie’ comic book stories via long-running CW series ‘Riverdale’, plans are afoot for a different take, this one aimed at the big screen.

Riverdale

"To save the future, they must survive the past."

TV-14Drama Crime

Audience
Score

Air Date: January 26th, 2017

Networks: The CW

Starring: K.J. Apa, Lili Reinhart

Watch Riverdale Online

According to reporter Jeff Sneider, Universal has a movie project based on the ‘Archie’ comics from powerhouse filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and Tom King, whose ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ comics run is the source material for next year’s latest DC Studios movie.

Exactly what the new take will be remains to be seen, but it’s certainly going to be eagerly watched given Lord and Miller’s involvement.

Related Story: San Diego Comic-Con 2025: ‘Project Hail Mary’ Has Ryan Gosling in Space

What’s the story of ‘Archie’?

'The Archie Show'. Photo: CBS.

The ‘Archie’ comics series, which have been published for 85 years, follows the high school hijinks of the title character and his main squeezes, Veronica and Betty. It has been turned into any number of shows and movies.

While ‘Riverdale’ was steeped in a ‘Twin Peaks’-like noir and followed the underbelly of the small town where Archie and the gang lived, the new tone of the new movie is being kept a mystery for now.

Here’s what Lord and Miller said in a statement:

“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.”

Emma Watts, who used to run 20th Century Studios and now has her own production company, teamed up with King (who on the scriptwriting front has been working on DC Studios’ HBO series ‘Lanterns’) to develop an initial pitch, which they then presented to Lord and Miller.

They, in turn, took it to Universal under the terms of their first look deal.

What else are Lord and Miller working on?

Ryan Gosling in 'Project Hail Mary'. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.

The ever-busy filmmaking duo have live-action sci-fi comedy thriller ‘Project Hail Mary’, adapted from ‘The Martian’s Andy Weir’s book headed our way next year.

‘Project Hail Mary’, which stars Ryan Gosling, will land in theaters on March 20th, 2026.

And then there’s the small matter of the third ‘Spider-Verse’ movie, ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’, with the latest animated outing due in 2027.

When will ‘Archie’ be on screens?

With the project still rattling around the development zone, we wouldn’t expect to see a release date announcement until it is closer to being finalized.