Adam McKay, the writer and director of the Will Ferrell megahits, Anchorman and Talladega Nights, is teaming with Funny or Die to write a book for the musical adaptation of Archie.
The beloved comic is getting the musical treatment thanks to McKay, who is enlisting his his co-founded company, Funny Or Die, to create the comedic production. The team is eyeing a New York run and an eventual Broadway debut, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
McKay said of the pending development of the musical, "Archie represents a bygone era of America, and like all bygone eras, there are elements we miss and elements that should be bygone." With that said, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the rest of the Riverdale gang are still going to be jumping from the page to the stage. McKay further said, "this will be a musical that deals with both those realities in a bright, colorful and slightly demented way."
Archie Comics CEO and publisher, Jon Goldwater added, "We've always thought that Archie was destined to be a big Broadway star--and now that moment has come! I've long admired Adam's work and the pairing of Archie's world with his brilliant humor and sensibility is the perfect fit. We look forward to developing this project together with this incredible team."
According to Variety, the project is still in the earliest stages of development. Furthermore, little is known about the direction the show will take in bringing Riverdale and its denizens to the stage.
Also involved in the production is Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who is no stranger to bringing comic book characters to the Broadway stage. His worked on the latter stages of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and is spear-heading a different, mature-audience take on Archie. Hopefully, it will stay true to the characters, who have been around since 1941.
Classicalite will let you know when further details about the show are announced. For now, perhaps, a clip from McKay's, Anchorman will whet your appetite.
