The people at Archie Comics have wanted to bring Archie and his pals Jughead, Betty and Veronica to the stage for years. Now, that's finally becoming a reality as an actual Broadway musical, thanks to a creative partner the company sees as a slam dunk.
Adam McKay is writing the script, with McKay's own Funny Or Die getting "presentation partner" status on the playbill. McKay is probably best known as Will Ferrell's favorite writer/director, having worked with the actor on Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers. More recently, he helped Paul Rudd rework the script for Ant-Man.
There's no word yet on who's writing the songs, or other talent involved. Further details surrounding the production – including director, storyline and start date – are set to be revealed at a later date.
Bringing a comic book to Broadway is hardly a new proposition. Comics and Broadway have a long, storied history together that includes Annie, L'il Abner, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, Doonesbury, The Addams Family, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, and more recently, the successful, extended run of Fun Home.
If you're wondering what McKay's take on Archie might look like, a press release about the musical indicates that he's respectful of the comic book but also plans to use a tongue-in-cheek tone when it's called for. He noted his intentions to focus on the "bygone era of America" that Archie represents, specifically focusing on the elements of the era that Americans tend to miss — and the elements that should remain in the past.
"This will be a musical that deals with both those realities in a bright, colorful and slightly demented way," said McKay.
"I've long admired Adam's work," said Archie Comics CEO and publisher, Jon Goldwater, giving McKay his vote of confidence. "The pairing of Archie's world with [McKay]'s brilliant humor and sensibility is the perfect fit."
2015 has been a big year for Archie. The musical's announcement comes on the heels of a highly publicized modern reboot of the titular comic book, and development of a "subversive take" on Archie and his gang for an hour-long television drama called Riverdale, coming to The CW.
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