‘Afterlife With Archie’ Series in the Works at Disney+!!

Good news, Riverdale fans: three years after the series ended, the franchise is coming back from the dead…literally. One of the most iconic horror comics of the 21st century is coming to the small screen, and what’s more, we already know when.

Afterlife With Archie, the comic book that plunged Archie Andrews and pals into a zombie apocalypse, is coming to Disney+. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the Riverdale creator who co-created Afterlife with Archie with artist Francesco Francavilla, is executive producing the series with TV hitmaker Greg Berlanti, the architect of the long-running Arrowverse family of superhero series. Previously announced to be in development several months ago, Afterlife With Archie has now been greenlit at Disney+, and is aiming for a release around Halloween 2027. Aguirre-Sacasa, who first gained prominence with the transgressive and unlicenced play Archie’s Weird Fantasy, called the series his “ultimate dream project,” and goes on to say, “Time to say a prayer for Archie, Betty, Veronica and the whole gang, ‘cause THE ZOMBIES ARE COMING!!!!”

What Is ‘Afterlife With Archie’ About?

First published in 2013, Afterlife With Archie takes a darker look at Archie and his teen pals than ever before. When Jughead’s pet Hot Dog gets run over by Reggie, Jughead Jones asks Sabrina, the Teenage Witch to bring him back to life. The mutt comes back from the grave…but as a ravenous, Pet Sematary-style zombie! Once he bites Jughead, Riverdale soon finds itself in the throes of a zombie apocalypse, as Archie, Betty, Veronica, and the gang must band together to survive or become part of the undead horde. The series was plagued by delays, and went on hiatus after #10 was published, but Aguirra-Sacasa and Francavilla recently announced that it will soon pick up where it left off. It was the first adult-oriented comic published by Archie Comics, and has been a massive critical and commercial success; it also led to a number of other R-rated horror comics from the publisher, including Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (which was itself adapted for TV), Vampironica, and Archie vs. Predator.

Afterlife With Archie is executive produced by Aguirre-Sacasa and Jimmy Gibbons for Muckle Man Productions; Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Leigh London Redman for Berlanti Productions and its overall deal with WBTV; and Jon Goldwater for Archie Comics Studios.