- Netflix looking to bring a live action version of the long-running cartoon to screens
- Series will depend on how well a script is received
- Scooby-Doo had two live action films in the early 2000s, starring a CGI version of Scooby
Zoinks! Scooby, Shaggy and the rest of the Mysteries Inc gang could be set for a live-action remake on Netflix, according to reports.
The streaming service is nearing a deal for an hour-long drama project, and it is believed there is a script-to-series commitment if it is well received, per various reports.
Josh Applebaum and Scott Rosenberg are penning the script for the project and will also be executive producers. They are known for writing High Fidelity for Hulu, among other projects.
No official comment on the reports has been made by Netflix or producers Warner Bros Television – which owns the Hanna-Barbera animation studio – due to a deal not being finalised.
If the project does make it to our screens, it will not be the first time the classic cartoon has been given the live action treatment. In 2002, a live action film starring Matthew Lillard, Freddie Prinze Jr, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Linda Cardellini was released, which made $275 million at the global box office, with a sequel – which was less well received – released two years later.
The films are notable for Lillard’s depiction of Shaggy, which was so well received that he later became the regular voice actor for the character in various cartoon series, taking over from Casey Casem.
Scooby-Doo is one of the longest-running and best-loved cartoon series in the world. The first series starring the great dane aired in 1969, and since then there have been many spin-offs, variations and reboots of the franchise, some focusing on comedy, others on drama. Scooby and Shaggy have been the only constants in the shows over that period.
