'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' Revival News: Richard Coyle to Play Father Blackwood
Richard Coyle will play Father Blackwood in the still untitled revival of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."
The 45-year-old actor is the latest addition to the reboot, which previously employed Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina and Miranda Otto as Aunt Zelda Spellman.
His character, Father Blackwood, is the High Priest of the Church of Night and Dean of the Academy of the Unseen Arts. Described as ruthless and ambitious, his dark agenda puts him in conflict with the lead character and her coven.
In early December, the "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" reboot received a two-season, 20-episode order from Netflix. While the original series, which aired from 1996 to 2003, was a comedy, producers of the upcoming revival said it would take a darker tonality, more in tune with the original comics it was based from, "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch."
The series will reimagine the origin and adventures of Sabrina, as told in a dark coming-of-age story more similar in tonality with "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist." Producers noted that it would be filled with horror, occult, and witchcraft.
Shipka's character will be far different from the original popularized by Melissa Joan Hart. The new Sabrina is described as "intelligent, compassionate, and brave to the point of recklessness." She is also funny, and very loyal to her family and friends.
As a witch, she always questions their own doctrine, making her "all that stands between us and the Forces of Darkness that threaten our world." She also has a star-crossed romance with classmate Harvey Kinkle, who has yet to find an actor.
The "Sabrina" reboot is a loose spin-off of hit series "Riverdale" and was originally supposed to be an expansion of the Archie universe on The CW until it was picked up by Netflix. Its pilot episode will be written by Archie Comics chief creative producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by Lee Toland Krieger, the same duo who did it for "Riverdale."
Earlier reports say the "Sabrina" revival will start filming this month in Vancouver, Canada.
