Hey friends, Steve Seigh here with your WTF news of the day! Are you ready? Variety has exclusively learned that Archie Comics and Graphic India are making plans to develop a Bollywood-style live-action film featuring the characters of Archie Comics! I know, I had to read the headline a few times myself, before setting out to write this article. These are truly interesting times, are they not?
With their Wonder Twin powers activated, both companies are jazzed to report the production will mark the first international comic to be translated for Indian screens. In what we know so far, the film is said to feature Archie and the gang (Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Moose, Cheryl, and Jughead Jones) with Indian actors stepping into the roles. Of course, a version of Riverdale High will also be included in the film as well.
“We are supremely excited to partner with the great team at Graphic India to bring Archie and his friends to Bollywood,” exclaimed Archie Comics CEO Jon Goldwater. “Archie’s lasting and growing presence in India made this move the logical next step as our stellar library of characters continues to expand into other media. It’s a major moment for Archie and its fans around the world.”
While echoing Goldwater's enthusiasm for the curious project, Sharad Devarajan, co-founder and CEO of Graphic India, said, “Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead have been a source of inspiration for numerous Bollywood films over the years, and now it’s time to take them fully into Bollywood in an exciting new twist of a story that we have planned. These characters have held a special place in the hearts of Indians for decades and we have no doubt that the new Indian cast of Archie and the gang will be an exciting moment for the country.”
Wow! Okay, I am absurdly down for this.
For the past several years, Archie Comics has done wonders to re-invent the Riverdale gang for young audiences, thanks in-part to the efforts of comic book creatives such as Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Chip Zdarksy, Fiona Staples, Erica Henderson, Mark Waid and many more! Oh, there's also this little show on The CW called RIVERDALE, which I'm positive has done a fine job of placing Archie and his friends in the Generation Z spotlight. It should be fascinating to see how the characters and their world will be translated into the song-and-dance Bollywood format, for sure. And hey, even if Bollywood-style filmmaking isn't your jam, you've got to give the Archie company kudos for thinking outside the box by planning something truly unique for the Riverdale gang.
No official release date for the Bollywood-style Archie project has been given at this time.