Kiernan Shipka to Play Sabrina the Teenage Witch in Netflix’s New Series

The role of teenage witch Sabrina Spellman has been cast for Netflix's new series, although there's still no word on who will voice her talking cat Salem...

Numerous sources, including Archie Comics confirm the news that Kiernan Shipka (The Blackcoat's Daughter, The Silence) is set to play Sabrina Spellman on the new Netflix series based on Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comic book, which features chillingly atmospheric artwork by Robert Hack.

The new show, currently untitled, has been given a 20-episode order by Netflix. Aguirre-Sacasa, who developed the Riverdale TV series, will write and executive produce the new Sabrina series, with Lee Toland Krieger (Riverdale) directing and executive producing. Also on board as executive producers are Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Jon Goldwater, all of whom executive produce Riverdale as well (although it's not yet known if Riverdale and the Sabrina series will exist in the same on-screen universe).

Here's what Aguirre-Sacasa had to say (via Archie Comics) about casting Shipka in the iconic role:

"We’re all such huge fans of Kiernan’s work that when we started talking about who this new incarnation of Sabrina could be, her name was on everyone’s wish list. 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."

Here's Netflix's official logline for the new series:

"UNTITLED SABRINA SERIES imagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft. 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."

Archie Comics has even more details on the type of character Sabrina, who first appeared in Archie's Mad House #22 back in 1962, will be this time around:

"An empowered young woman, half-human, half-witch, Sabrina is just beginning her dark education as a sorceress, even as she tries to maintain a normal life as a sophomore at Baxter High. Intelligent, compassionate and brave to the point of recklessness, Sabrina is all that stands between us and the forces of darkness that threaten our world."

This won't be the first time Sabrina has worked her magic on the small screen. The iconic character with a talking black cat appeared in the Melissa Joan Hart-starring sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch that aired from 1996–2003, and several animated series have also featured the young witch.

If you haven't read Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I highly recommend checking it out for its haunting horror and gorgeous autumn backdrops. Aguirre-Sacasa, who also writes the Afterlife with Archie series (another title that's a must-read for fans of the living dead or readers with fond memories of chocolate milk shakes at Pop Tate's), doesn't hold back with the series' dark magic elements, and he truly conjures a Cthulhu-infused spell on the page that should hopefully translate well to the screen.

We'll keep Daily Dead readers updated as more details are divulged, but in the meantime, what are your thoughts on the casting of the new Sabrina? Let us know in the comments below!