Jake Chang - What We Know So Far
Since it made its debut back in 2017, "Riverdale" has become one of the more delightfully silly, wondrously confounding, and utterly entrancing shows The CW has ever aired. And if you know anything bout The CW's programming history, you know that's not a statement to be taken lightly.
You may not know it from all the sex, drugs, backstabbing, and murder, but "Riverdale" is actually adapted from the "Archie" comic book series. The "Riverdale" creative team has, of course, gone above and beyond in turning the far more wholesome tropes inherent to Archie-verse characters and narratives so completely on their heads, they hardly resemble their source material. Seems The CW brass is looking to flip a few more tropes with a new Archie-verse series they're hoping might fill the "Riverdale" sized void they'll have when the series wraps its seventh and final season in 2023.
The new series is tentatively titled "Jake Chang." And though it's still early in production, a few intriguing details are already spilling out about the show. Here's everything we know about "Jake Chang" so far.
Who will star in Jake Chang?
To be clear, "few" is sort of a keyword there as "Jake Chang" is very much still in the early stages of production. So early, in fact, that there wasn't even a working screenplay when Deadline first broke the news of the project. Unfortunately, when that announcement was made, it did not include any casting notes. That hasn't changed, so as of this writing we can't confirm any actors who might be appearing in "Jake Chang." One thing made clear in that Deadline piece, however, is that there are apparently no plans to do any crossovers with characters currently at large in the small screen Archie-verse.
That news will surely be a bit of a bummer for many "Riverdale" and "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" fans even if both of those series have either ended or soon will. Still, there will be a bit of a carryover from the Archie-verse as "Jake Chang" will reportedly be written and directed by "Sabrina" alums Oanh Ly and Viet Nguyen respectively. Just as exciting is that, according to Deadline, "Jake Chang" is being produced by "Lost" and "Hawaii Five-O" star Daniel Dae Kim through his 3AD production shingle. And with talent like that at work behind the camera, it's safe to assume equally impressive on-camera talent will soon follow.
What is Jake Chang about?
Though we don't yet know who will be appearing in "Jake Chang," we can confirm from that Deadline report that a young actor of Asian descent will surely be cast in the lead. And per the official synopsis, it seems "Jake Chang" will take a page from the "Riverdale" playbook in that it will be a soapy teen drama with a noir-ish narrative edge. According to the report, the new series will follow the titular teen and part-time private investigator "as he navigates the racially and socioeconomically diverse worlds of his ever-gentrifying home." For Chang, home is the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco.
As noted, Jake Chang is not an established character in the Archie-verse, and was created specifically for the show. The teen sleuth did, however, make his "Archie" debut opposite Betty and Veronica in a recent comics run (via ArchieComics.com). Seems the character may also have some ties to a past "Archie" adjacent headliner named Fu Chang, who was a Bay Area detective himself. But according to comments Oanh Ly and Viet Nguyen made to Deadline, the ties may be mostly to subvert some of the Asian stereotypes present in that story, with the duo stating, "we're going to lean into the 'F U' of the original 'Fu Chang' IP and delightfully destroy all familiar tropes and tell a unique Asian-American story."
Still, it seems unlikely there won't be some sort of connection between the pair given the new series' location alone. And one can only hope that if the old detective turns up in "Jake Chang," it's Daniel Dae Kim playing him.
When will Jake Chang premiere?
Though there isn't exactly a wealth of information out there surrounding "Jake Chang" just yet, the tasty bits of info that are available have likely still whetted the appetites of Archie-verse fans for what's to come in the series. Sadly, one of the many details we don't know about "Jake Chang" is when, or even if we'll actually get to see it. As previously noted, the series is still pretty early in the production phase, and as of this writing, seemingly hasn't hired even a single cast member. That naturally means the series also has not begun filming.
As of Deadline's report, "Jake Chang" was listed as "in development" as well, with the article making no mention of The CW ordering a pilot episode, or a full season of the show. There's also no guarantee either order will come. The good news is that a writer and director are already on board for "Jake Chang," so The CW clearly has a lot of faith that the project will move forward at least to the pilot stage. Assuming that happens, and that "Jake Chang" gets picked up, the network will likely be eyeing a Fall 2023 release.
We'll be sure to keep you posted if and when a premiere date for the series is announced.