Zoya Akhtar to direct period musical based on Archie Comics franchise for Netflix

Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar has announced that she will helm a live-action film based on the iconic Archie Comics franchise. The film will be a musical set in India during the 1960s. 

Akhtar shared a series of comic panels in which Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead learn about the project, The Archies, which will be premiered on Netflix.

The feature film will be produced by Akhtar's home production, Tiger Baby Films and Graphic India. The Archie Comics franchise had its genesis in issue 22 of the comic book anthology series Pep Comics, which came out in late 1941. It remains popular among teenagers as it tells the tale of Archie Andrews and his friends, who reside in the fictional town of Riverdale. 

Talking about this collaboration, Akhtar said, “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.”

“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,” said Archie Comics CEO and publisher Jon Goldwater. “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.” 

Pratiksha Rao, director, films and licensing, Netflix India, added, “The characters, adventures and friendships in Archies have found fans across the world for generations. With Archie Comics, Graphic India and Tiger Baby, we have an extraordinary opportunity to recreate the world of Archie comics, this time as a live-action musical. Zoya has an incredible and unique ability to make stories and the characters in them relatable, making them feel like they are an extension of our own self. We are thrilled to partner with her in bringing to life the world of Archies to fans  and our members in India and around the world.”

There has been speculation that Akhtar might cast Shah Rukh Khan's daughter, Suhana Khan, and Khushi Kapoor as Veronica and Betty.

Akhtar is also working on a documentary on the legendary screenwriting partnership between her father, Javed Akhtar, and Salim Khan titled Angry Young Men.