Gomez-Rejon to Direct First Two Episodes of Disney+'s Afterlife with Archie
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon will direct the first two episodes of Afterlife with Archie for Disney+.
He will helm the pilot, the opening episode that launches a series, as well as the second episode. He will also serve as executive producer on the episodes he directs, a senior credit that brings creative oversight as well as directing duties, Deadline reported on 19 October 2026. That appointment locks in who shapes the opening chapters.
The Disney+ project was greenlit in July, meaning it received a formal order to move into production as a series. It adapts the bestselling comic book series by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla.
Aguirre-Sacasa is staying close to the adaptation. He executive produces alongside Jimmy Gibbons via Muckle Man Productions, their production banner. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman executive produce via Berlanti Productions. Jon Goldwater executive produces for Archie Comics Studios, the screen arm of the comics publisher.
The line-up puts three production groups around one title. That is common in modern television, where the original rights holder, the writers' producing team and an established studio share senior credits and responsibilities. Each credit reflects a share of responsibility for story, staffing and delivery.
Gomez-Rejon arrives with horror directing experience. He received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie for American Horror Story: Coven. Opening episodes carry extra weight. They set the visual language, the pace of performance and the template later directors follow.
The source material comes from a darker corner of Riverdale. Afterlife with Archie is a horror series published under the Archie Horror line, according to publisher listings. Publisher notes show the demand for that run, with Afterlife with Archie #9 selling out at Diamond Comic Distributors and going back to print, Archie Comics said.
Aguirre-Sacasa has long held a senior role at the publisher. He is Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics, as he outlined in an Archie Comics interview.
For viewers meeting the title for the first time, this means the person who helped create the comic helps steer the screen version. The first two episodes now have a single guiding hand. The producing teams behind them are set. What remains is production itself, and the finished episodes viewers will eventually see.
