The Archies takes the original premise of the comic book characters and moves them to India in the 1960s. Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica are all present and accounted for, and the gang finds themselves trying to prevent an unscrupulous developer from destroying a beloved park that has been an important part of the community for decades. The Archie property has its roots back in the 1940s and has been through various adaptations. If you are a fan of this latest one, you may be interested in some of the finer aspects of the production, so let’s take a look at where The Archies was filmed and explore some of the other ways in which it was brought to life for Netflix.
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Where was The Archies filmed?
Ooty, Tamil Nadu
An article on Holly Buff reveals the film would be shot on location at a small town called Ooty, officially known as Udhagamandalam.
Found in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Ooty stands in for Riverdale in the movie, utilizing the area’s picturesque and varied locations for filming. The town is filled with colonial architecture that lends itself to this production and many landmarks such as Ooty Lake, Nilgiri Mountain Railways, Botanical Gardens, Rose Garden, and Doddabetta Peak can be spotted.
New Delhi
Multi-cultural and beautiful, New Delhi also lent itself to a few scenes included in the movie. Once again, the city also has numerous colonial-era buildings which are ideal for filming a period movie like The Archies, so the set dressers were on hand to make sure that the locations fitted the tone of the film, utilizing some of the architecture to complete the illusion.
Ooty Lake, a recognizable location in The Archies | Image via Ooty Tourism
Royal Palms Mumbai
One of the big choreographed moments in the film was filmed at Royal Palms in Mumbai, along with some extra scenes, in a ten-day shoot at this location. Choreography was done by Bosco-Caesar, and production took a break after this.
The Archies Production Timeline
Here is a rough timeline of The Archies‘s production, from conceptual idea to actual release.
- It was reported as far back as 2018 that an Indian production of The Archies was on the cards, but as is often the case with these projects, the wheels would move slowly.
- In 2022 casting had begun and test shooting commenced.
- Principal photography started in April 2022 and the first filming block completed within two months.
- A second block of filming commenced in July 2022.
- After a two-month hiatus, filming would continue in October 2022.
- Filming wrapped up in December of the same year.
- Promotion for the film started in May 2022.
- The cast would appear at a fan event on the 17th of June 2023, the same day the first trailer dropped.
- Social media campaigns would run from August through October 2023.
- The official trailer dropped in November 2023.
- The Archies was released globally on December 7, 2023.
Who directed and produced The Archies?
The film was directed by Zoya Akhtar who had for a long time been interested in the comic book characters but wanted to bring them to a new audience while keeping the premise familiar and loyal to the source material. Akhtar was also involved with the production of the film with Reema Kagti and Tiger Baby Films on board, this being their first independent project, and Sharad Devarajan representing Graphic India on production duties too.
What else has Zoya Akhtar done?
Zoya works in the Hindi film industry and has had some varied films in her portfolio. You may recall her from Luck By Chance, Bombay Talkies, Lust Stories, Gully Boy, and of course The Archies. Zoya also works in television, with shows such as Made in Heaven and Dahaad.
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