Kiernan Shipka has been cast as Sabrina Spellman for Netflix’s new “darker” reboot of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
The actress, who is best known for playing Sally Draper in AMC’s Mad Men, is the first to be cast for the upcoming Riverdale spinoff.
It is not yet known what the series will be called, but it promises to stay faithful to the Sabrina comic books, focusing on dark magic, the occult and horror.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will explore Sabrina’s powers in a vein similar to Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist.
The new Sabrina is described as:
“… 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.”
The show’s creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has said that Kiernan playing Sabrina was on “everyone’s wishlist.”
He said:
“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.”
Netflix has so far commissioned two seasons of the show.
