Netflix’s "The Archies" Gets First Teaser

Netflix has unveiled a new look at “The Archies”, a coming-of-age, live-action musical set in 1960s India and based on the Archie comics.

The movie adaptation focuses on The Archies, a fictional band introduced in "Life With Archie" issue #60 in 1967. 

The band's universe has consisted of classic franchise characters such as Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie Mantle, and Kevin Keller. They were so popular real musicians produced a handful of albums as the fictional band throughout the late 60s and early 70s. The band also had a Christmas-themed album come out in 2008.

The project features the offspring of many of Bollywood’s current superstars. These include: Mihir Ahuja, Dot, Yuvraj Menda and Vedang Raina. They are joined by Khushi Kapoor, the daughter of the late actor Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor and sister of Janhvi Kapoor; superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan; and Agastya Nanda, the grandson of revered actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.

The teaser, released during Netflix’s Tudum 2023 fan event, is described on a railway sign as a “hill station,” a term dating back to colonial times that refers to a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain. 

One of the transport links servicing the hill stations are small mountain railway trains running on narrow gauge tracks, known affectionately in India as “toy trains” and the teaser opens with a shot of the top train puffing into Riverdale station.

The teaser also showcased the iconic Pop Tate’s, a soda shop where Archie and his friends hang out. After promising rock ‘n roll, the rest of the teaser is a whirl of teenagers having a good time.

Zoya Akhtar directed the movie from a script by Akhtar, Reema Kagti, and Ayesha Devitre. It is produced by Akhtar and Reema Kagti for Tiger Baby and Sharad Devarajan for Graphic India.