If you’re old enough to remember the Archie Comics, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that Warner Brothers will be producing a live action movie based on the classic comic book series. That’s right – a live action movie. What will it be about? Well, the comic book followed teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones. Basically, the movie will reboot these characters and make them fit for modern America.
Directing the movie is Jason Moore, who also did the 2012 high school music comedy “Pitch Perfect.” On the writing side of things, “Glee” writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is working on the script. The movie is slated to be a “quintessential teen movie.”
Who’s going to go see thins one? Well, you might – even though it’s a teen movie. And while you might expect it to go straight to DVD or a service like direct-ticket.net, it’s being promoted for the big screen. Will modern-day teens even know who Archie is? Will they care? Moore and Aguirre-Sacasa think so.
Their idea is to capture a truthful coming -of- age story that teens can relate to. Obviously this means a bit of teen angst, heartbreak, pain, and of course lots of fun and hijinks. As you might expect, this would make for a perfect summer movie – which is exactly what the director is hoping for.
Archie comics have given birth to several animated T.V. series since the 1960s, but this is the first time a live action movie has been attempted. “There are parts of the story that I think people will be surprised how dark and real it gets,” says Aguirre-Sacasa.
One of the most interesting aspects of this movie is that its writer – Aguirre-Sacasa – hasn’t always been on friendly terms with Archie Comics. One of his first plays had to be altered due to the threat of legal action from the company. Why? Because it was called “Archie’s Weird Fantasy,” a play about Archie coming out of the closet.
Obviously Aguirre-Sacasa has made peace with Archie Comics – he’s also working on a zombie series titled, “Afterlife With Archie.”
While it might seem a bit dated, producer Jon Goldwater says that, “Archie has remained extremely competitive enough to be a trend setter in contemporary comic books.” Indeed, Archie has changed over the years. It was the first comic to introduce a gay character, for example. Rather than be met with criticism, it was an incredible success.
The comic has also introduced alternative story lines where Archie was married to Betty in one version and Veronica in another. How the movie will play out is anyone’s guess. In fact, there’s even some speculation that Aguirre-Sacasa’s zombie theme might weasel its way into the movie somehow.
Regardless of how it all plays out, the movie will be well-funded. With producers Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Job Goldwater, Krishnan Menon, and Jon Silk, there’s plenty of money to make the movie a hit.
Angela Cullum loves to keep on top of the latest movie releases. An avid blogger, you can find her posts on various entertainment websites.