Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa | |
|---|---|
 Aguirre-Sacasa in 2019 | |
| Born | 1973 (age 50–51) |
| Occupation | Comic book writer, playwright, screenwriter |
| Education | |
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (born 1973) [1] is an American playwright, screenwriter, and comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics and for the television series Glee , Big Love , Riverdale , Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin . He is Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics. [2] [3]
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa grew up in Washington, D.C., [4] the son of the senior Nicaraguan World Bank official turned Nicaraguan Ambassador to the US (1997-2000) and later Foreign Minister (2000-2002) [4] Francisco Javier Aguirre Sacasa and Maria de los Angeles Sacasa Arguello y Gomez Arguello, both Nicaraguan nationals. Aguirre-Sacasa received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University and later a master's degree in English literature from McGill University; he then graduated from the Yale School of Drama in 2003. [5]
Early plays during his first year at Yale include Say You Love Satan, "a romantic comedy spoof of the Omen movies", and The Muckle Man, "a serious family drama with supernatural overtones"; good reviews on summer productions of those helped him get a professional agent. [6] Rough Magic, an interpretation of Shakespeare's The Tempest in which Caliban escapes from Prospero's island and finds himself in present-day New York City, was produced at Yale during his last year there. [6]
Although he wrote some plays in high school, it was after college, while working as a publicist at the Shakespeare Theatre, that Aguirre-Sacasa had an opportunity to attend a week-long playwriting workshop under Paula Vogel at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. [6] He recalled in 2003 that Vogel held one of her periodic playwriting "boot camps" in the area:
...Paula's a great playwright and a really extraordinary teacher. So Arena invited other D.C. theaters to send their resident playwright to the boot camp. ... Michael Kahn, the Shakespeare's artistic director, had seen a couple of my really barebones productions that me and friends had thrown together here in D.C., and he asked me if I wanted to go. So I did this boot camp with Paula. At the end of it, Paula asked me, "Are you going to get serious about this?" I said I would like to, and she said, "I would get serious about it, right now." While I was working at the Shakespeare I had been writing plays like everyone else -- in the morning, after work, on weekends, but I really wasn't focusing on it. [6]
On April 4, 2003, Dad's Garage Theatre Company in Atlanta was scheduled to debut Aguirre-Sacasa's new play, Archie's Weird Fantasy, which depicted Riverdale's most famous resident coming out of the closet and moving to New York. The day before the play was scheduled to open, Archie Comics issued a cease and desist order, threatening litigation if the play proceeded as written. Dad's Garage artistic director Sean Daniels said, "The play was to depict Archie and his pals from Riverdale growing up, coming out and facing censorship. Archie Comics thought if Archie was portrayed as being gay, that would dilute and tarnish his image." [7] It opened a few days later as "Weird Comic Book Fantasy" with the character names changed. [8] Aguirre-Sacasa would later develop the Riverdale television series as well as becoming Archie Comics' chief creative officer.
Other plays produced in 2003 were The Mystery Plays in New York, which had won a writing award the previous year from the Kennedy Center, and a hit production of Say You Love Satan at the 2003 New York International Fringe Festival.
Playwriting continued along with comic-book writing, with several productions of new and old works. In 2006, his semi-autobiographical Based on a Totally True Story (about a comic-book writer/playwright struggling with new-found success and boyfriend problems) was staged at the prestigious Manhattan Theatre Club in New York. When asked by The Advocate , "Which came first, being a comic-book geek or being gay?" he answered, "I would say I was probably a comic-book geek before I knew anything about being gay or straight. I certainly loved superheroes before I knew I was gay..." He also noted the play was, "thankfully", not about his current boyfriend. [9]
Good Boys and True, about a graphic sex tape that begins circulating around an all-boys prep school outside Washington, D.C., premiered at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre in winter 2008. [10]
In mid-2009, the Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland, premiered his play The Picture of Dorian Gray, based on the novel by Oscar Wilde. That same year, Aguirre-Sacasa and artist Tonci Zonjic finished Marvel Comics' Marvel Divas miniseries, and he began working as a writer for the HBO series Big Love , a position he continued in 2010 during the show's fourth season. [11] [12] In February 2010, he was announced to write the book for the musical adaption of the novel American Psycho . [13]
South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California, presented the premiere of his play Doctor Cerberus in spring 2010. [14] He also revised Robert Benton's musical It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman for the Dallas Theater Center production in Dallas, Texas, in June 2010.[ citation needed ]
In 2011, Aguirre-Sacasa was approached by the producers of the troubled Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark to help rewrite its script. [15] [16]
In May 2011, Aguirre-Sacasa was hired as a co-producer and writer of Glee . [17] Two months later, he was hired to write the comic book Archie meets Glee, published in 2013. [18]
In April 2013, Aguirre-Sacasa wrote the book for a musical based on Bret Easton Ellis's novel American Psycho, which ran in London from December 3, 2013, to January 25, 2014. [19] It later transferred and ran on Broadway for 27 previews and 54 performances [20]
Aguirre-Sacasa grew up liking comic books, recalling in 2003, "My mom would take us out to the 7-Eleven on River Road during the summer, and we would get Slurpees and buy comics off the spinning rack. I would read them all over and over again, and draw my own pictures and stuff." [6]
He began writing for Marvel Comics, he explained, when "Marvel hired an editor to find new writers, and they hired her from a theatrical agency. So she started calling theaters and asking if they knew any playwrights who might be good for comic books. A couple of different theaters said she should look at me. So she called me, I sent her a couple of my plays and she said 'Great, would you like to pitch on a couple of comic books in the works?'" [6]
His first submissions were "not what [they were] interested in for the character[s]" but eventually he was assigned an 11-page Fantastic Four story, "The True Meaning of...," for the Marvel Holiday Special 2004. [21] He went on to write Fantastic Four stories in Marvel Knights 4 , a spinoff of that superhero team's long-running title; and stories for Nightcrawler vol. 3; The Sensational Spider-Man vol. 2; and Dead of Night featuring Man-Thing . [22]
In May 2008 Aguirre-Sacasa returned to the Fantastic Four with a miniseries tie-in to the company-wide "Secret Invasion" storyline concerning a years-long infiltration of Earth by the shape-shifting alien race, the Skrulls, [21] and an Angel Revelations miniseries with artists Barry Kitson and Adam Polina, respectively. [11] He adapted for comics the Stephen King novel The Stand .
In 2013, he created Afterlife with Archie , depicting Archie Andrews in the midst of a zombie apocalypse; the book's success led to Aguirre-Sacasa being named Archie Comics' chief creative officer. [2]
Aguirre-Sacasa wrote the screen adaptation of the remake of Stephen King's Carrie , released in October 2013. [23] In June 2013 was scheduled to write Warner Bros.' planned live-action Archie movie. [24] He also wrote The Town That Dreaded Sundown , a metasequel to the cult-classic horror film of the same name. [25]
Aguirre-Sacasa wrote for television episodes of Glee , Big Love and Looking . In addition, he is the series developer of Riverdale , Katy Keene , Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin . [26] [27] [28] [29]
He received GLAAD Media Award nominations for Golden Age [14] and for Say You Love Satan, [14] with the latter also winning a New York International Fringe Festival Excellence in Playwriting Award. [30] He tied for a Harvey Award for Best New Talent for his work on Marvel Knights Four . [31]
In 2020, Aguirre-Sacasa was awarded an Impact Award by the National Hispanic Media Coalition for his work as an "Outstanding Executive Producer". [32]
| Year | Title | Credited as | Network | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writer | Producer | Creator/Developer | Showrunner | ||||
| 2009–2011 | Big Love | Yes | Yes | No | No | HBO | Writer: 3 episodes |
| 2011–2014 | Glee | Yes | Yes | No | No | Fox | Writer: 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Looking | Yes | Yes | No | No | HBO | Writer: 2 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Supergirl | Yes | Yes | No | No | The CW | Writer: 3 episodes |
| 2017–2023 | Riverdale | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Writer: 21 episodes; Director: "Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven: Goodbye, Riverdale" | |
| 2018–2020 | Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Netflix | Writer: 10 episodes |
| 2020 | Katy Keene | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | The CW | Writer: 3 episodes |
| 2020 | The Brides | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ABC | Unsold pilot |
| 2022 | Jake Chang | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | The CW | Unsold pilot |
| 2022–present | Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | HBO Max | |
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle, Sabrina Spellman, Josie and the Pussycats and Katy Keene. The company is also known for its long-running Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, which it published from 1992 until 2016.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeared in Archie's Madhouse #22. Storylines of the character at elementary-school-age also appear under the title "Sabrina -- That Cute Little Witch" in almost all of the Little Archie comics.
Archie Meets the Punisher or The Punisher Meets Archie is a one-shot comic book and intercompany crossover written by Batton Lash with art by Stan Goldberg, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer. It was published jointly by Archie Comics and Marvel Comics in June 1994. In the story, the murderous vigilante Punisher mistakes all-American teenager Archie Andrews for a criminal he is hunting. When he realizes his error, he works with Archie to rescue Archie's girlfriend Veronica Lodge, who has been kidnapped by the criminal. Despite being a humorous intercompany crossover, the comic was said to take place in the mainstream Marvel Universe by the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.
The Sensational Spider-Man is a comic book series starring Spider-Man and published monthly by Marvel Comics for 41 issues between 2004 and 2007. It was originally published under the Marvel Knights imprint.
Marvel Knights 4 is the name of a comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero team, the Fantastic Four. The series was launched as part of the company's Marvel Knights imprint, and ran for 30 issues. All issues in the series were written by playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and presented stories that focused less upon science fiction themes than typical Fantastic Four tales.
Katy Keene is a character created by Bill Woggon that has appeared in several comic book series published by Archie Comics since 1945. She is a model/actress/singer marketed by the publisher as "America's Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashions". In the book From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics from Teens to Zines by Trina Robbins, Katy Keene is called a Bettie Page look-alike. "... but the resemblance ended there.
Stan Goldberg was an American comic book artist, best known for his work with Archie Comics and as a Marvel Comics colorist who in the 1960s helped design the original color schemes of Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and other major characters. He was inducted into the National Cartoonists Society Hall of Fame in 2011.
A chief creative officer (CCO) is the highest ranking position of the creative team within a company. Depending on the type of company, this position may be responsible for the overall look and feel of marketing, media, and branding associated with the organization. The CCO may also be charged with managing, developing, and leading the team of creative directors, art directors, designers, and copywriters, creative writing, also in charge of long term planning/booking/storytelling for a year, few years to 10 years for certain entertainment companies/intellectual properties, like Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios, DC Comics/DC Studios and WWE.
Marvel Divas is a limited series comic book published by Marvel Comics. On April 9 2009, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada revealed in his weekly blog with MySpace Comic Books that the series follows four female heroes, who, up until now, had nothing in common. The group featured Firestar, Black Cat, Hellcat and Photon, four single women who bond over their inabilities to find a solid romance. The creative team is Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Tonci Zonjic.
American Psycho is a musical with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik and a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. It is based on the controversial 1991 novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, which also inspired a 2000 film of the same name, that starred Christian Bale. Set in Manhattan during the Wall Street boom of the late 1980s, American Psycho is about the daily life of Patrick Bateman, a wealthy young investment banker who is also a serial killer.
David Marquez is an American comic book artist best known for his works at Marvel such as Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, and All-New X-Men, with writer Brian Michael Bendis as well as for his first creator-owned book, The Joyners in 3D, with writer R.J. Ryan.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an American comic book series published by Archie Horror, an imprint of Archie Comics, beginning in 2014. The series is a darker take on the characters and setting of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, with art by Robert Hack, and is inspired by the appearances of Sabrina in Aguirre-Sacasa's other Archie series, Afterlife with Archie.
Archie Horror is an imprint of Archie Comics Publications, Inc. focusing on the company's horror-related titles. Prior to the creation of the imprint the titles were published under the normal Archie Comics banner.
Karron Graves is an American actress and teacher. She may be best known for playing Mary Warren in the 1996 screen adaptation of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
Archie vs. Predator is a comic book and intercompany crossover, written by Alex de Campi and drawn by Fernando Ruiz. It was originally published as a four-issue limited series in the United States by Dark Horse Comics and Archie Comics in 2015. The single issues were released between April and July, a hardcover collection went on sale in November 2015, and a paperback collection became available in August 2019.
Riverdale is an American television series based on the characters of Archie Comics. The series was adapted for the CW by Archie Comics' chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and is produced by Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios, in association with Berlanti Productions and Archie Comics. Conceived as a feature film adaptation for Warner Bros. Pictures, the idea was re-imagined as a television series for Fox. In 2015, development on the project moved to The CW, where the series was ordered for a pilot. Filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
"Chapter One: The River's Edge" is the pilot and first episode of the first season of the American television series Riverdale, based on the characters by Archie Comics, revolving around the character of Archie Andrews and his life in the small town of Riverdale while exploring the darkness hidden behind its seemingly-perfect image. The episode was written by series creator and Archie Comics' chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and was directed by Lee Toland Krieger.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an American supernatural horror television series developed by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa for Netflix, based on the Archie comic book series of the same name. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, in association with Berlanti Productions and Archie Comics. Aguirre-Sacasa and Greg Berlanti serve as executive producers, alongside Sarah Schechter, Jon Goldwater, and Lee Toland Krieger.
The first season of Riverdale premiered on The CW on January 26, 2017 and concluded on May 11, 2017, with a total of 13 episodes. The series is based on the characters from the Archie Comics, created by Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John L. Goldwater, and was created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.
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