‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ Creator “Hopeful” About Future of Live-Action Series

Sabrina Spellman may be returning to Greendale sooner than you think. In a recent interview with Deadline, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa opened up about the future of Kiernan Shipka‘s Sabrina in the film and TV world. As his new comics trek onward, Aguirre-Sacasa says he still plans on continuing with a new Chilling Adventures of Sabrina TV series or movie in years to come.

“About two months ago, I reached out to [Archie Comics CEO/Publisher] Jon Goldwater and told him that Sabrina is going to eventually come back,” Aguirre-Sacasa said. “We’re going to find a way to continue with Kiernan, but in the meantime, what if we bring back the comic book?”

So he resurrected the comic book for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #9, a continuation of the comic series that inspired the Netflix show. He’s also doing a continuation of the TV show in a new comic book series titled The Occult World of Sabrina. but what about potential live action shows or film spinoffs? Aguirre-Sacasa says he’d love to move forward, but Netflix currently has a hold on the rights to Sabrina and her pals.

“There’s a hold on the character now, I think for two years, and that window has already started,” Aguirre-Sacasa explained. “My plans are to work on the comics and build up that library with the hopes that one day we can do a standalone movie or hopefully bring back the series.”

That hold should extend to approximately December 31, 2022, given that the final episode of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina dropped on Netflix on December 31, 2020. Aguirre-Sacasa also teased what he has in-store for a potential revival of Shipka’s Sabrina.

“I feel like right now this is like the research and development stage of the next iteration of Sabrina,” he said. “I was really bummed that the fans weren’t able to see Sabrina reunited with her family and friends which was the heart of the show. But I’m hopeful that with different circumstances in the future, we’ll be able to do a live-action Sabrina to continue.”

In the interview, Aguirre-Sacasa also teased some of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina clips that were left on the drawing board. For one, he said that he pitched a possible Riverdale crossover with a witchy twist.

“I finished editing the finale at the beginning of the pandemic and pitched a possible part five to Netflix which would’ve produced Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and all the Riverdale characters as witches and there would’ve been a witch war between the witches in Greendale versus all of these witches and warlocks in Riverdale,” he said. “Netflix was excited about that idea but due to the pandemic, it didn’t feel possible.”

Aguirre-Sacasa also opened up about one of his favorite scenes that was cut from the last episode, sharing that he had to put it in the comics instead. Although he understood Netflix’s request to edit out the scene, it was still “a little bit like a dagger to [his] heart.”

“What plays out is that Sabrina’s aunt Zelda (Miranda Otto), who had had dealings with the voodoo god of death, Baron Samedi, shakes a bag of bones and he appears to her,” said Aguirre-Sacasa. “He says, ‘I didn’t think you’d be contacting me so soon.’ And Zelda says, ‘There’s been a terrible mistake. It seems that my niece Sabrina is dead and we need to bring her back to life.’ So the cliffhanger was going to be Sabrina’s family trying to pull her back from the afterlife.”

Stream The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix