Lucy Hale Will Star In The 'Riverdale' Spinoff & It's The CW Return You've Been Waiting For

Fans of Riverdale have known for quite some time now that The CW is currently in the process of developing a spinoff series, titled Katy Keene, and now it seems they've finally found the right person to take on the lead role. The network has announced that former Pretty Little Liars star Lucy Hale will play Katy Keene in the Riverdale spinoff and given the description of her upcoming character, she could not be a better fit for the role.

The series, which was granted a pilot order back in January, will center around four iconic Archie Comics characters, which includes the likes of Hale's Katy Keene. According to the official logline, as per TVLine, fans will watch as these four comic book figures “chase their twenty-something dreams in New York City. 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.”

As for Katy Keene herself, she's described as a "fashion legend-to be" who is also “bold, big hearted and independent." Her aspiration is to eventually become a fashion designer, though she hasn't quite made it there just yet. When she’s not busy working as a personal shopper at a luxury department store, she's attempting to navigate the murky waters of both friendship and dating in the Big Apple.

Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa also took to Twitter to announce the exciting news, tweeting "It’s official! @lucyhale joins the #Archieverse as fashion it girl #katykeene! Thrilled to be working with this lovely lady!"

Hale is undoubtedly most well known for playing Aria Montgomery for all seven seasons of Freeform's widely popular drama series Pretty Little Liars. And since Aria always managed to be incredibly stylish, it's easy to imagine Hale portraying a full-blown New York City fashionista for this new project. Of course, this won't be the first time she's made a series debut on The CW.

Prior to this, Hale starred in two different dramas on the network: Privileged (which aired back in 2008) and Life Sentence (which came out in 2018). Neither show went on to receive a second season renewal. Hopefully that won't end up being the case for this particular Riverdale spinoff, but based on the show's description alone, it already looks pretty amazing. And now that Hale has joined the cast, it'll definitely be a must-see for Riverdale and PLL fans alike.

Along with Hale, Riverdale's Ashleigh Murray will also appear in the pilot episode as a slightly older version of Josie McCoy since the series will jump ahead several years from its predecessor, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That means there are bound to be some amazing musical numbers to look forward to on the show. Furthermore, if Katy Keene is granted a full season pickup, Murray will become a mainstay cast member and eventually leave Riverdale for the new spinoff series. Perhaps this could also lead to some fun crossover opportunities as well.

Needless to say, Katy Keene and Co. will be a welcome addition to the Riverdale world. Let's hope she (and the show) are here to stay.