Former Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale is returning to The CW by starring in the Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene, just a year after starring in Life Sentence for the network.
Hale shared the news herself on Twitter by retweeting a link to The Hollywood Reporter‘s casting report.
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Hale will join the previously cast Camille Hyde, Lucien Laviscount, Jonny Beauchamp and Julia Chan. Ashleigh Murray will also move over to the new series to play an aged-up version of her Riverdale character, Josie McCoy.
Like Riverdale, Katy Keene is based on Archie Comics characters. Katy first appeared in comics in 1945, billed as “America’s Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashions.” The singer, model and actress was revived in the 1980s and has sporadically appeared with Archie and his friends since.
“Katy Keene follows the lives and loves of four iconic Archie Comics characters — including fashion legend-to-be Katy Keene and singer/songwriter Josie McCoy — as they chase their twenty-something dreams in New York City,” reads the official synopsis of the show. “This musical dramedy chronicles the origins and struggles of four aspiring artists trying to make it on Broadway, on the runway and in the recording studio.”
Katy Kane will be written by Riverdale creator Robert Aguirre-Sacasa with Michael Grassi. They are executive producing with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Jon Goldwater. Maggie Kelly, who directed episodes of Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will direct the pilot.
Unlike a typical spin-off, Katy Keene will not be born out of Riverdale, since Katy is an older character compared to the Riverdale High students. However, it is set in the same universe as Riverdale and Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Hale, 29, was one of the breakout stars of Pretty Little Liars, playing Aria Montgomery on the show from 2010 to 2017. She also starred on Her first big post-PLL series was Life Sentence, in which she played a woman diagnosed with a terminal cancer that is suddenly cured. The low-rated series was cancelled after only one season.
“Sometimes things don’t resonate with the audience and shows just don’t work, but I’m so proud of what we accomplished & for the experience I had,” Hale wrote when the show was cancelled. “Life Sentence was a show that a lot of us needed and I am beyond grateful for those who gave our show a chance.”
Hale stars in the upcoming movies Fantasy Island and A Nice Girl Like You and can currently be seen in Netflix’s Dude.
Riverdale airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
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