Things We Saw Today: First Sabrina Reboot Pictures Are Freaky but There’s Not Enough Saucy Talking Cat

Netflix’s forthcoming spin on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, called Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, has a much darker tone than what we’re used to seeing in the Archie Comics and the ’90s TV show. 100% more devil worship, 100% less Salem the cat’s sarcasm.

This much more serious Sabrina adaptation will introduce characters both old and new from the Sabrina-verse, with the titular role played by Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka (who is now 18, in case you wanted to feel old today). The casting seems spot-on across the board—it’s hard to argue with Lucy Davis and Miranda Otto as Hilda and Zelda Spellman. They also play my witchy aunts in my recurring daydreams.

As io9 explains, we’ll be getting plotlines that go far beyond who’s taking who to the school dance:

The newest photos give us a full look at Kiernan Shipka’s Sabrina, a teenage girl who’s part of a long line of Devil-worshipping (and marrying) witches. In fact, the other photo in this collection appears to be Sabrina getting ready to become a Bride of Satan under the tutelage of Father Blackwood (Richard Coyle), surrounded by her aunts (played by Lucy Davis and Miranda Otto) and the three Weird Sisters, led by Tati Gabrielle’s Prudence.

Netflix officially sayeth: “Tonally in the vein of ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ and The Exorcist,’ this adaptation finds Sabrina wrestling to reconcile her dual nature—half-witch, half-mortal—while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family, and the daylight world humans inhabit.”

Unfortunately, all of this Darkly Intense Rebootness means we’re unlikely to have much camp baked into this show, though that remains to be seen. Harvey Kinkle will probably still bumble around in blissful ignorance.

I have to say these first looks and descriptions are promising, even if it’s hard to imagine a Sabrina without an acerbic feline companion.

We’ll likely still receive some version of Salem—we saw the silhouette of a black cat in the show’s promo poster. Maybe he communicates with her telepathically?

(via io9, images: Netflix)

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• Phew—Thor’s roommate Darryl survived Infinity War. (via Nerdist)
• Speaking of Thor, Chris Hemsworth won a Teen Choice Award over the weekend for Thor: Ragnarok and while he couldn’t accept the award in person, he called in to tease some Avengers 4 “spoilers.” (via Twitter)

What’d you see today, my magical creatures?

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Kaila Hale-Stern

Kaila Hale-Stern (she/her) is a content director, editor, and writer who has been working in digital media for more than fifteen years. She started at TMS in 2016. She loves to write about TV—especially science fiction, fantasy, and mystery shows—and movies, with an emphasis on Marvel. Talk to her about fandom, queer representation, and Captain Kirk. Kaila has written for io9, Gizmodo, New York Magazine, The Awl, Wired, Cosmopolitan, and once published a Harlequin novel you'll never find.

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