Zoya Akhtar Reveals how she got a chance to Direct The Archies

Zoya Akhtar’s upcoming film The Archies will release on Netflix on December 7. The film is an adaptation of the very popular Archie comics and set in the fictional hill station of Riverdale in the 1960's. The film marks the debut of multiple young actors including Agastya Nanda, Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Mihir Ahuja, Yuvraj Menda, Vedang Raina and Dot.

In an interview with Vogue magazine, Akhtar revealed that she was actually planning to adapt another comic when the opportunity to make The Archies came her way. Akhtar said, “I had a meeting with Sharad Devarajan, co-founder of Graphic India, who contacted me because he wanted me to adapt another comic. While we were speaking, I happened to tell him that I’m a huge fan of the Archie comics. He said, ‘Oh, it’s ours and we just leased it to Netflix.’”

While she initially felt that perhaps the chance to adapt the Archie comics was lost, Akhtar soon received a pleasant surprise. The filmmaker revealed, “In my head, it (the project) was gone since it had been handed over to a streaming platform. The next thing you know, he spoke with Netflix, and they contacted me to ask if I would like to make the film.”

The Archies will premiere on Netflix on December 7.