A reboot for "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" received a two-season order on Netflix.
The revival was previously a supposed companion to "Riverdale" to expand the Archie universe at The CW. But Netflix has just announced that it has landed a 20-episode straight-to-series order on the subscription channel.
According to Deadline, Netflix most probably gave Warner Bros. TV an offer it could not refuse, after the massive success of "Riverdale" on the platform. By doing the "Sabrina" reboot on Netflix, WBTV will also get full ownership, as opposed to a co-production with The CW.
Based on the Archie Comics graphic novel "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," the still-untitled project will be run by the same team as "Riverdale." That is Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. TV. The series' pilot episode will be written by Aguirre-Sacasa, who is also the chief creative producer of Archie Comics, and directed by Lee Toland Krieger, the same duo who did it for the "Riverdale" pilot.
Archie characters have been popping up a lot in "Riverdale," with the exception of one key star, Sabrina. But apparently that is because she is getting her own show. While the 1996-2003 sitcom, starring Melissa Joan Hart, was a feel-good bubbly series, the reboot will reportedly take a darker path.
The upcoming Netflix series will re-imagine the origin and adventures of Sabrina through a dark coming-of-age story filled with a lot of horror, occult, and witchcraft, which will be similar in tonality with "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist." The adaptation will see the teenage witch battling with her dual nature as a half-witch and half-human, and against the evil forces that threaten her, her family, and everyone close to her heart.
News of a "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" revival was first reported in September. It came as no surprise as Aguirre-Sacasa earlier boasted to the media outfit that his position at Archie Comics gives him access to some 4,000 to 5,000 characters, including the iconic teenage witch.
