Zoya Akhtar's directorial 'The Archies' to release on December 7

Mumbai, Aug 29 (IANS) Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar's upcoming directorial 'The Archies' has been locked for a release on December 7 on Netflix.

It stars Dot, Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, Mihir Ahuja, Suhana Khan, Vedang Raina and Yuvraj Menda. 

The 'Archies', a coming-of-age musical film, follows the lives of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Ethel and Dilton who will take audiences to the fictional hilly town of Riverdale. Seen through the lens of the unique Anglo-Indian community, 'The Archies', which is set in the 1960s, explores friendship, freedom, love, heartbreak and rebellion.

The cast, many of whom are debuting in their first film, announced the date of launch along with their director, Zoya Akhtar with a live billboard on one of India's  busiest roads - Mumbai's Western Express Highway on Tuesday morning. 

The billboard also has a countdown timer which tracks the number of days before the film launches on Netflix. 

The Indian adaptation of the beloved comics will see Dot play Ethel Muggs, Agastya Nanda as the charming and talented Archie Andrews, Khushi Kapoor will play the role of Betty Cooper, Mihir Ahuja as the always hungry Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge will be portrayed by Suhana Khan, Heartthrob Reggie Mantle will be showcased by Vedang Raina and Yuvraj Menda will play Dilton Doiley. 

The film is an adaptation of the Archie comics. It features the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle, Sabrina Spellman, Josie and the Pussycats and Katy Keene. The company is also known for its long-running Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, which it published from 1992 until 2016.

The initial Archie characters were created in 1941 by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana, in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom.They first appeared in Pep Comics #22 (cover-dated December, 1941). With the creation of Archie, publisher John Goldwater hoped to appeal to fans of the Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney.

Archie Comics was also the title of the company's longest-running publication, the first issue appearing with a cover date of Winter 1942.