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Netflix teases an edgier, darker 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' reboot

Kiernan Shipka as everyone’s favourite teenage witch in <i>The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina</i> (Netflix)
Kiernan Shipka as everyone’s favourite teenage witch in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix)

It was the hit 90’s Nickelodeon sitcom that put Melissa Joan Hart on the teen star map and at its height commanded as much as 17 million viewers an episode. And now Sabrina the Teenage Witch is back, but not how you remember her.

The reboot has been retitled The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and will star Mad Men actress Kiernan Shipka. The plot will be based on its original Archie comic book series of the same name – which depicted a far darker and edgier Sabrina than its Nickelodeon interpretation.

Netflix announced it was rebooting the show back in December 2017 as a companion show to its popular teen drama series Riverdale – also based on the Archie comic books – and will be set in neighbouring town Greendale.

With show crossovers inevitable, we’re only now getting more details thanks to its Instagram account – @sabrinanetflix – which despite only being launched two days ago already has an incredible 23k followers.

In one teaser, Kiernan Shipka declares ‘Hi Witches, welcome to our coven!’ along with her onscreen guardians Hilda and Zelda – played by Lucy Davis and Miranda Otto respectively, Kiernan’s on-screen cousin Ambrose Spellman played by newcomer Chance Perdomo and her on-screen boyfriend Harvey Kinkle played by Disney star Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally, Status Update). Absent from the teaser is Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who, Green Wing) who will play Sabrina’s favourite teacher Mary Wardell.

welcome to the coven. regram: @writerras

A post shared by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (@sabrinanetflix) on Jul 15, 2018 at 3:04pm PDT

And in the account’s most recent teaser, we see flashes of witchcraft, a full moon, and the return of original series fan favourite black cat Salem Saberhagen.

An official Netflix release date for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has yet to be announced, but is slated to be released before the end of 2018 – with a good chance it will drop on Halloween.

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