Everything You Need to Know About the ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ Reboot

News that Sabrina the Teenage Witch is being rebooted by the creators of Riverdale has made fans of the original series extremely excited.

Not only has the series found its main character in Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka, but her love interest Harvey Kinkle has been cast too. Here’s everything we know about the new Sabrina the Teenage Witch TV show, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, so far:

1) Kiernan Shipka is Sabrina Spellman.

The Mad Men alum was announced as the lead character in the Sabrina reboot in January 2018. Netflix released an enthusiastic press release regarding her casting, with show creator Aguirre-Sacasa revealing, “This is a darker, more macabre version of Sabrina, and we’re incredibly excited for people to see Kiernan make this iconic character her own.”

In May 2018, the show’s creator revealed that the reboot would be called Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, along with a sneak preview of the lead character herself:

Shipka is an amazing choice, and it’ll be satisfying to see her take the lead in her own show. She’ll definitely do Melissa Joan Hart proud.

2) The show is based on the comic book series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

The new show will be based on creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s original graphic novel Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, much like Riverdale before it. The comic book series takes Sabrina in a much darker direction than the light-hearted Melissa Joan Hart show of the ’90s, making it the perfect companion to the creepy Riverdale.

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As Riverdale has utilized many ’90s heartthrobs (Luke Perry and Skeet Ulrich, hubba hubba) by casting them as the parents of Archie and his friends, hopefully the Sabrina reboot will do the same. And a cameo by Melissa Joan Hart seems pretty crucial at this point.

3) Chilling Adventures of Sabrina premieres on October 26 on Netflix.

Netflix announced that the Sabrina reboot would be released on October 26, 2018. The announcement was made on Instagram, along with a photo featuring several Sabrina lookalikes, all wearing letterman jackets:

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Time for CAOS. Oct 26.

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Time for CAOS. Oct 26.

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The reboot got a straight-to-series order of two seasons, which is an incredible deal for any new TV show. As The Hollywood Reporter revealed in December 2017, “Sources say the Sabrina order is for two, 10-episode seasons that would shoot back to back with the first batch filming from February to June and second from June to October.” A table read for the pilot first happened in March 2018.

4) There might not be a Riverdale crossover.

Early rumors suggested that Sabrina would appear on Riverdale first, by means of a backdoor pilot. However, as the Sabrina the Teenage Witch reboot is airing on Netflix, and not The CW, there’s unlikely to be any crossover between the two shows at first.

Ross Lynch confirmed that a crossover was unlikely, at least for now, telling Entertainment Tonight in March 2018, “I don’t know if there ever would be one because the shows are on different networks.”

But this could change in the future, since both shows were created by comic book scribe Aguirre-Sacasa. Plus, the Sabrina reboot is also being worked on by Riverdale collaborators Jon Goldwater, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Lee Toland Krieger.

5) The reboot is horror-inspired.

As the Netflix press site reveals, “Tonally in the vein of Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature—half-witch, half-mortal—while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family, and the daylight world humans inhabit.” And if Aguirre-Sacasa’s concept art and the first poster for the show are anything to go by, the series will be truly chilling.

6) Sabrina’s love interest Harvey Kinkle will be back.

Creator Aguirre-Sacasa shared a page from the pilot’s script on Instagram, which revealed the return of Sabrina’s boyfriend, Harvey.

In the original show, Harvey was portrayed by ’90s heartthrob Nate Richert. In the reboot, Ross Lynch will play the character. Lynch has already been sharing photos from the show’s set, along with his partner-in-crime, Shipka:

I had to post this picture too… What do you think the ship name should be? #caos #chillingadventuresofsabrina

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Kiki

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Kiki

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In Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Harvey is a coal miner’s son who is apparently “completely unaware of the dark forces conspiring to keep him and Sabrina apart,” via Deadline.

7. Sabrina’s Aunts will be played by familiar faces.

Miranda Otto from Homeland will play Aunt Zelda, while Lucy Davis, who appeared in Wonder Woman as Etta Candy, will star as Aunt Hilda. As Deadline reports, “More nurturing than Zelda, Hilda’s motherly nature and warm sense of humor belie a wicked, ghoulish streak.” Davis recently shared a photo from the pilot’s table read:

Table read for episode one of #chillingadventuresofsabrina ! #sabrina #lucydavis #netflix #warnerbros #hildaspellman

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8. Sabrina has several enemies in the new series.

According to Deadline, Tati Gabrielle will play Prudence, Sabrina’s arch-nemesis in the show. She’s apparently the “de facto leader of a trio of witches known as the Weird Sisters,” and “nurses a deep, personal, and possibly life-threatening grudge against Sabrina,” which is simply chilling.

Not only will our heroine face-off against fellow teen Prudence, she’ll also have to deal with the ominous sounding Father Blackwood and Madam Satan. Father Blackwood will be played by British actor Richard Coyle, while Madam Satan will be played by Doctor Who actress Michelle Gomez.

9. Salem will be back.

And this time, a real cat takes the place of animatronic Salem.

All hail Salem, indeed!

10. Sabrina’s cousin comes to town.

Played by newcomer Chance Perdomo, Ambrose Spellman is a warlock from England. According to Deadline, “Placed under house arrest by the Witches Council, Ambrose is forbidden from leaving the funeral home where he lives with the Spellman women. Witty, puckish and pan-sexual, he is one of Sabrina’s partners in crime, always up for mischief.” Basically, Ambrose sounds like the perfect sidekick.

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