Soon enough, DC won’t be the only comic book publisher able to lay claim to having a shared universe on television. We say that because yet another Archie Comics property will get the live action treatment in the 2018-19 television season, as a new Sabrina The Teenage Witch series will stand alongside Riverdale.
Right now, details remain sketchy, but we do know that the spinoff will be based on the awesome horror comics that have come to us by way of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Additionally, the series is described as “being tonally in the vein of horror classics like Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, and will see Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature as a half-witch, half-mortal,” which aligns with the source material.
Now, we can also confirm the first bit of casting, as Netflix has settled on Mad Men star Kiernan Shipka to play the titular protagonist, Sabrina Spellman. Described as “an empowered young woman who is just beginning her dark education as a sorceress, even as she tries to maintain a normal life as a sophomore at Baxter High,” she’s said to be “intelligent, compassionate, brave to the point of recklessness and all that stands between us and the forces of darkness that threaten our world.”
“We’re all such huge fans of Kiernan’s work that when we started talking about who this new incarnation of Sabrina could be, her name was on everyone’s wish list,” said producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. “This is a darker, more macabre version of Sabrina, and we’re incredibly excited for people to see Kiernan make this iconic character her own.”
Archie Comics’ CEO Jon Goldwater added: “I am thrilled that Kiernan is playing Sabrina and have no doubt that she will embody the strength, courage and boldness that has made the character a fan favorite.”
As of now, no one else has been cast in Netflix’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch series, but with Shipka locked in to star, you can expect that to change very soon indeed. As always, watch this space for more.