‘Katy Keene’: Johnny Beauchamp & Julia Chan To Star In CW’s ‘Riverdale’ Spinoff
EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Beauchamp (Penny Dreadful) and Julia Chan (Saving Hope) have landed lead roles opposite Riverdale‘s Ashleigh Murray in Katy Keene, the CW’s Riverdale spinoff pilot from Riverdale creator/executive producer Robert Aguirre-Sacasa, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV.
Written by Aguirre-Sacasa and Michael Grassi and directed by Maggie Kiley, 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 (Murray) — as they chase their twentysomething dreams in New York City. The 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.
Beauchamp will play Jorge/Ginger Lopez. By day, Jorge works at his family’s bodega. By night, his drag alter ego Ginger bartends and performs at a local club. Jorge always has aspired to be a Broadway performer, but he’s now looking to take his drag career to the next level.
Chan will play Pepper Smith, a New York City “It Girl” who is at the epicenter of all things trendy. As the funny, magnetic life of the party, she dreams of opening her very own version of Andy Warhol’s Factory. But behind all the outrageous noise, no one quite knows where she gets all her money — or if she even has any.
Aguirre-Sacasa and Grasi executive produce with Berlanti Productions’ Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Jon Goldwater. Berlanti Productions produces in association with Warner Bros. TV.
Beauchamp, a Puerto Rican actor from New York City also known for playing Ray Garcia in Roland Emmerich’s 2015 film Stonewall, is repped by Buchwald.
Chan was a lead on the Canadian series Saving Hope and has been recurring on the Canadian show Little Dogs. She can be seen in the feature A Kid Like Jake opposite Claire Danes and is voicing a recurring character on the upcoming season of BoJack Horseman. Chan is repped by Buchwald, Thruline Entertainment and the Gary Goddard Agency in Canada.
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