Funny or Die Planning Broadway Musical Based on Archie

Adam McKay is a very busy man. It seems as if he's at least partially responsible for just about every movie with a comedic approach and his time is about to get even more crowded. McKay and Funny or Die have teamed up with Archie Comics to bring Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the Riverdale gang to Broadway in an all-new musical. McKay is slated to bring his singular brand of comedy to the musical, writing the book for the show, with a creative team and timing for a New York run to be announced at a later date.

McKay said, “Archie represents a bygone era of America. And like all bygone eras, there are elements we miss and elements that should be bygone. This will be a musical that deals with both those realities in a bright, colorful and slightly demented way.”

Funny Or Die will serve as a presenting partner. CEO Jon Goldwater and CCO Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa will oversee for Archie Comics. The partnership was packaged by Triptyk Studios (An American in Paris, You’re Welcome America, Xanadu) who will reteam with their You’re Welcome America partners for the endeavor. Tara Smith, B. Swibel and Adam Westbrook will oversee development for the company and present on Broadway.

Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics CEO/Publisher, said, “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Adam McKay and Funny Or Die to finally bring Archie to the stage. We’ve always thought that Archie was destined to be a big Broadway star – and now that moment has come! I’ve long admired Adam’s work and the pairing of Archie’s world with his brilliant humor and sensibility is the perfect fit. We look forward to developing this project together with this incredible team.”

Full press release below.

ADAM MCKAY AND FUNNY OR DIE JOIN ARCHIE COMICS TO CREATE A NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL BASED ON THE CHARACTERS OF THE BELOVED COMIC SERIES ARCHIE. Writer/Director Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights, You're Welcome America) and Funny Or Die have joined forces with Archie Comics, one of the most popular comics ever produced, to bring Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the Riverdale gang to Broadway in an all-new musical.  McKay is slated to bring his singular brand of comedy to the musical, writing the book for the show, with a creative team and timing for a New York run to be announced at a later date. Funny Or Die will serve as a presenting partner. CEO Jon Goldwater and CCO Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa will oversee for Archie Comics. The partnership was packaged by Triptyk Studios (An American in Paris, You’re Welcome America, Xanadu) who will reteam with their You’re Welcome America partners for the endeavor. Tara Smith, B. Swibel and Adam Westbrook will oversee development for the company and present on Broadway. Adam McKay said, “Archie represents a bygone era of America. And like all bygone eras, there are elements we miss and elements that should be bygone. This will be a musical that deals with both those realities in a bright, colorful and slightly demented way.” Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics CEO/Publisher, said, “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Adam McKay and Funny Or Die to finally bring Archie to the stage. We’ve always thought that Archie was destined to be a big Broadway star – and now that moment has come! I’ve long admired Adam’s work and the pairing of Archie’s world with his brilliant humor and sensibility is the perfect fit. We look forward to developing this project together with this incredible team.” Visit www.ArchieMusical.com for more information and to sign-up for updates. Follow the development of the Archie musical on all social media channels @ArchieMusical ABOUT ARCHIE COMICS: Archie Comics is the leading mass market comic book publisher in the world and the home to a wide array of the most popular humor, action-adventure and superhero characters in entertainment, including Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Reggie, Kevin Keller, Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Afterlife With Archie, the Dark Circle Comics superhero characters (The Black Hood, The Fox, The Shield and more), Li’l Jinx and many more. Archie Comics have sold over 2 billion comics worldwide and are published around the world in a number of languages. In addition to comics, Archie characters have been featured prominently in animation, television, film and music. Follow Archie Comics on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the Archie Comics Store. About ADAM McKAY Adam McKay is a writer, director, and producer who is best known for directing the Anchorman films,Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, all of which he also co-wrote with longtime partner Will Ferrell. He is a former head writer of “Saturday Night Live,” one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade and the co-creator of the largest comedy website in the world, Funny Or Die. On Broadway, McKay directed the Tony Award-nominated You’re Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush.  Most recently he wrote and directed an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ bestseller The Big Short, starring Brad Pitt and Christian Bale and was credited as a writer on Marvel’s Ant-Man. About FUNNY OR DIE Funny Or Die launched in April 2007 and has grown into a premier comedy brand and production studio known for creating award-winning, high-quality content with a global audience of more than 70 million. Funny Or Die’s social media division produces content for over 15 platforms and is the #1 comedy brand on both Twitter and Facebook. Funny Or Die is the top destination for celebrity-driven comedy videos and highly topical political commentary. Funny Or Die's founders are Gary Sanchez Productions (Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Chris Henchy), and Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Judd Apatow is also a principal partner. About TRIPTYK STUDIOS TriptykStudios makes works for theater, film, television, web and arts education, and is led by producer TARA SMITH and writer-producers B. SWIBEL & ADAM WESTBROOK.  Recent select theater work includes Tony-winning hit An American in Paris; the award-winning hit Xanadu; Broadway smash You're Welcome America from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay; the critically acclaimed revival of The Seagullstarring Carey Mulligan; The Performers starring Henry Winkler; NY Times Critic’s pick My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer. Triptyk premieres Amelie, a new musical, starring Samantha Barks, at Berkley Repertory this summer, before seeing Xanadu make its London premiere this October. They recently announced the new Stevie Wonder musical, Freedom Run, with NBC/Universal Stage.