The Archie Comics Pilot Has Found Its Cast

Believe it or not, yet another comic book adaptation will soon make its way to The CW for consumption by modern audiences. Before you DC comic fans get all hot and bothered about that idea, you need to know one thing: it’s not an another addition to the Arrow-verse. Instead, the folks at The CW have decided to bring some of America’s oldest and most iconic comic characters from Archie comics to TV in Riverdale, and the contemporary update has evidently just taken a huge step forward by casting Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse in key roles.

Riverdale has cast actress Lili Reinhart to portray Archie sometimes-sweetheart Betty Cooper, and Cole Sprouse as the burger-eating Jughead Jones. In this iteration of the characters' lives, Betty Cooper is Archie Andrews’ best friend who actually harbors secret feelings for the redhead. Jughead, on the other hand, is Archie’s former best friend who remains bitter after a rift between the two boys eventually drove them apart, according to Deadline.

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As a relative newcomer, audiences will perhaps recognize Reinhart for her performance in the 2014 series Surviving Jack. By contrast, Cole Sprouse has already experienced a fairly successful career over at the Disney Channel. If you fancy yourself a Disney aficionado, chances are you recognize him from his role as Cody from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

Despite these massive casting announcements , there is still no word as to who will portray the series' headlining character of Archie Andrews. Compared to Jughead’s more “emo” style and demeanor, this updated version of Archie has been described as an athletic, and handsome All-American high school student. It’s not a lot to go on, but it can help us get the ball rolling with our speculation of what kind of actor The CW might enlist to take on the role.

All reports indicate that The CW’s take on Archie is not for purists. Set in a contemporary era, the show will skewer the property's seemingly wholesome appearance, while exploring the darker, more sinister elements that lie beneath Riverdale. In fact, a recent report from IGN had indicated that the developers of the series had seemingly pitched the idea as “Archie meets Twin Peaks.” Given the network’s track record for adapting beloved material from page to screen, we are going to let this play out and see what they bring to the table when Riverdale finally airs.

Based off this news things are starting to look pretty exciting for fans of the Archie comics. We here at Cinema Blend will bring you and any all relevant information related to Riverdale as it becomes available to us.

Conner Schwerdtfeger

Originally from Connecticut, Conner grew up in San Diego and graduated from Chapman University in 2014. He now lives in Los Angeles working in and around the entertainment industry and can mostly be found binging horror movies and chugging coffee.