Disney+ greenlights Afterlife With Archie from Riverdale team
Disney+ has ordered a series adaptation of the Afterlife With Archie comics from the Riverdale creative team, Variety reports. The 8216afterlife with archie8217 series was in development at the streamer in 2025 and is eyed for a potential Halloween 2027 launch, reuniting Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Greg Berlanti’s producers.
Key Takeaways
- Disney+ has greenlit a live-action series based on the Afterlife With Archie comics.
- A potential premiere is targeted around Halloween 2027 after a 2025 script-to-series commitment.
- Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa wrote the script; Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television are producing.
- The plot follows Archie and friends fighting the possessed dead in Riverdale after a teen witch’s spell backfires.
What did Disney+ order, and why does it matter?
According to Variety, Disney+ has ordered the series version of the “Afterlife With Archie” comics. The project first surfaced in development at the streamer in 2025 with a script-to-series commitment.
That move matters for fans of the Archieverse because it brings a flagship horror comic into the same streaming lane as other prestige genre TV. For more Streaming & TV Alerts, BlasterPost is tracking similar greenlights and premiere windows.
Who is behind the Afterlife With Archie series?
The show is based on the comic book series from Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla. Aguirre-Sacasa wrote the script and executive produces via Muckle Man Productions.
Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Leigh London Redman of Berlanti Productions also executive produce, along with Jon Goldwater of Archie Comics Studios and Jimmy Gibbons of Muckle Man. Warner Bros. Television is the studio, where Berlanti Productions and Muckle Man hold overall deals.
Aguirre-Sacasa and Berlanti previously teamed on “Riverdale,” which ran seven seasons on The CW as a dark reimagining of the Archie comics. Aguirre-Sacasa is also chief creative officer for Archie Comics and helped bring “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” to Netflix.
What is the story about?
Variety cites a logline in which a supernatural spell from a teen witch backfires, unleashing an army of the possessed dead upon Riverdale. Archie and his friends must fight to stay alive while testing the friendships, romances, and loyalties that have held them together.
Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family, said the series is “about more than just zombies” and about the friendships, loyalty, and humanity that make Riverdale worth fighting for. Aguirre-Sacasa called turning “Afterlife” into a TV series a “full-circle moment,” noting the comic predates both “Riverdale” and “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”
When could viewers watch it on Disney+?
Disney is slating the series for a potential launch around Halloween 2027. Casting and episode order details were not announced in Variety’s report.
Berlanti and Schechter said they are happy to reunite with Aguirre-Sacasa and revisit Riverdale “in a unique and thrilling way,” thanking Disney+ and WBTV for the opportunity. Goldwater called the live-action move a “dream come true” and said he cannot wait for the zombie invasion to reach screens worldwide.