If you are a fan of The Archie comics, Zoya Akhtar's announcement about her new project will make you jump for joy. Archie Andrews and his friends will now meet you in their Indian avatars. Zoya Akhtar, on Thursday, announced that she will direct a coming-of-age musical-drama based on these popular comic characters and the film will be set in 1960's India. Excited, are you? The Hindi adaptation of The Archie comics will be co-produced by Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Sharad Devarajan under their production houses Tiger Baby and Graphic India, respectively. Announcing the film, Zoya Akhtar shared a few comic strips from The Archie showing Archie and his group, including Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper, talking about the live-action musical set that will premiere exclusively on Netflix. She wrote: "Archie and the Crew are about to get Down and Desi! 'The Archies' A coming-of-age musical drama directed by me. Coming soon to Netflix!"
See Zoya Akhtar's post here:
So now, if you are wondering who all have been cast in the musical-drama, the makers have not revealed any names yet but it has been reported that Amitabh Bachchan's grandson Agastya Nanda, Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana and Janhvi Kapoor's sister Khushi Kapoor. However, these are only rumours and none of the stars or the makers have confirmed them yet.
The Archie has a huge fan following in India. The comics were a prominent part of Zoya Akhtar's childhood and teenage years and she is "excited' but also "little nervous" to direct the live-action musical drama. Talking about her new project, the filmmaker said in a statement: "I am super excited to have the chance to bring The Archies to life. It was a large part of my childhood and teenage years. The characters are iconic and globally loved, which is also why I am a little nervous. I have to make sure the film stokes the nostalgia of a generation that grew up on the comic and yet resonates with the young adults today."
Archie Comics CEO and Publisher Jon Goldwater said that he is "thrilled" to partner with Zoya Akhtar and Netflix for this "unique and exciting take on Archie and friends." He said in a statement: "It's a huge source of pride that the Archie Comics characters and stories resonate with fans globally, and especially in India, for more than 50 years. We are thrilled to partner with Netflix and trust Zoya Akhtar and her creative team to deliver a truly unique and exciting take on Archie and friends through the lens of Indian cinema. We know that these characters have global appeal and translating them into other settings and cultures is just the start of what we have planned for future multimedia adaptations."
The other fictional characters from The Archie comics are Reggie Mantle, Sabrina Spellman, Josie and the Pussycats and Katy Keene. Created by John L Goldwater and artist Bob Montana in 1941, the initial Archie characters first featured in Pep Comics in the same year.
These popular characters have been adapted in several films, TV series, video games and cartoons till now.
