Interest in a return
Following his seven-season run as Archie Andrews on the CW series Riverdale from 2017 to 2023, actor KJ Apa has expressed interest in appearing in the upcoming television adaptation Afterlife with Archie.
Apa stated that he spoke with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who served as the showrunner for Riverdale and is leading the new project as showrunner and Archie Comics chief creative officer. Apa mentioned that he asked Aguirre-Sacasa about a potential cameo appearance in the series.
“I would think that would be really fun if I could come in for a scene,” Apa told Entertainment Weekly. “Maybe I’m not even [Archie], I don’t know who I’d play, but it’d be fun to do it.”
About the series
Afterlife with Archie received a script-to-series order from Disney+ in October 2025. Produced by Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, the series is scheduled for a Halloween 2027 premiere on the streaming platform.
The adaptation is penned by Aguirre-Sacasa and based on the comic books created by Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla. The story transforms the town of Riverdale into a zombie-apocalypse setting, triggered when a supernatural spell cast by a teen-witch backfires and unleashes an army of the undead.
While looking forward to the project, Apa noted that he is eager to see who will be cast in the lead roles of Archie and his friends.