Riverdale season 7 cast additions: Who are the new actors joining the CW series?

Despite all odds and expectations, The CW's Riverdale is coming back yet again with a final season on March 29, 2023, bringing in a completely new struggle that will take this Archies adaptation back to its roots.

The previous season's ending saw some era-altering changes, with characters getting stuck in the past without any recollection of it. Jughead (Cole Sprouse), who is the only one who remembers the time warp, will try to persuade everyone to return to the present day.

The new season will feature some of the fan-favorite characters, this time in the original 1950s essence, with KJ Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom, Casey Cott as Kevin Keller, and Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle - all returning to reprise their roles.

However, the upcoming season of Riverdale will also see some new cast members join the parade as the long-running show marches to its final days.

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Meet the new cast members of Riverdale season 7

Karl Walcott as Clay Walker

A pivotal part of the new season, which will see Kevin Keller's Casey Cott living as a closeted gay man, Clay will come to shake things up with his artistic charm. The casting announcement describes his character as:

"A teen renaissance man. He is studious, artistic, well-read, and well-traveled. An Army brat, Clay comes from a loving family and is a champion for social justice. He is very open-minded in his art and his sexuality."

His entrance into Clay's life may change things completely for both of them.

Walcott is well-known for his role in Le Chalet and X-Men Apocalypse.

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Nicholas Barasch As Julian Blossom

The biggest casting addition for Riverdale this season, Barasch will portray Cheryl’s probable brother in this alternate reality. The last season revealed how Cheryl may have been a triplet and not a twin, with Brasch playing the third brother. Her twin, Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines), died in the previous season.

Barasch is a well-known face in the television world, having portrayed Austin on the animated series The Backyardigans. He is also a star of the theatre circuit, appearing in the 2022 production of The Butcher Boy in New York.

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Shannon Purser as Ethel Muggs

Shannon Purser will play the fan-favorite character Ethel Muggs in the seventh season of Riverdale. Though she is not really a new addition to the cast of the show, having already appeared on multiple episodes of the show before. The trailer has already depicted Muggs covered in blood.

Purser is perhaps best known for Stranger Things, for which she was also nominated for an Emmy award. She was also the star of Netflix's Sierra Burgess is a Loser.

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Abby Ross as Midge Klump

Another character who will return in a different form, Midge Klump, will now be played by Abby Ross in this alternate reality. Initially, Midge was the first major character death in the series in the second season.

Abby Ross is no stranger to the Archie verse, having portrayed one of the Dezmeldas in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She is also well-known for Once Upon a Time and DC"s Legends of Tomorrow.

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Other cast additions in Riverdale season 7

Other cast members for the upcoming season of Riverdale include Lochlyn Munro as Hal Cooper, Daniel Yang as Dilton Doiley, Moses Thiessen as Ben Button, William MacDonald as Principal Featherhead, and Malcolm Stewart as Dr. Werthers.

Needless to say, most of the original Riverdale cast will also appear in this final season.

Riverdale will premiere on the CW on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.