- Scooby-Doo franchise was launched in 1969
- Netflix bringing new eight-episode origin series
- It will be a “modern reimagining” of the classic cartoon
“Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you? We got some work to do now” couldn’t ring any truer, as Netflix has officially confirmed it has given an order for a live-action Scooby-Doo series.
The reimagining of the Warner Bros. classic cartoon has been in the works for a year, after landing at Netflix following competition from multiple bidders. However, there had been no official word from the streamer.
Read more: Brothers return for Malcolm in the Middle reunion
The project, from Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, will be led by Midnight Radio’s Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg, who will serve as showrunners and writers. It will be based on the original characters created by Hanna-Barbera.
Read more: Renée Zellweger joins Only Murders in the Building
Netflix posted to X on 26 March to confirm the news, with an image of a script’s top page and the caption “A Scooby-Doo live-action series is coming to Netflix! In this modern reimagining, old friends Shaggy and Daphne team up at summer camp with scientific townie Velma and the strange but handsome Fred to solve the mystery of a lonely lost Great Dane puppy — who may have witnessed a supernatural murder.”
Mystery, Inc. is back in business
“Mystery, Inc. is back in business! We’re excited to bring Scooby-Doo to TV as a live-action series for the first time,” Peter Friedlander, vp scripted series at Netflix, said in a statement.
He added “The beloved franchise has had an impact on pop culture that is undeniable – it’s rich with universal themes of friendship that generations of fans have long embraced…we’re committed to delighting longtime fans and opening up a world of groovy adventures for a new era of meddling kids.”
For co-executive producer Grehg Berlanti, the project is a bit of a full circle moment, “One of my first and favorite jobs in Hollywood was sitting with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera while they signed animation cels,” he said. “Josh and Scott and everyone at Midnight Radio have crafted a story that captures their amazing spirits and their genius creation. We are grateful to them and everyone at Warners and Netflix for the partnership in helping bring this iteration of Scooby-Doo to life.”
Origin story
The yet-to-be-titled eight-episode series will serve as an origin story of how the Mystery Inc. group first got together. It will go back to the haunting case that started it all.
According to the official logline for the new show “During their final summer at camp, old friends Shaggy and Daphne get embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder. Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma, and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy, they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets.”
Scooby-Doo’s “modern reimagining” will already have fans wondering what this means exactly – whether it’s a shift in animation, tone, or even casting. Given the backlash Disney faced over the casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White and the controversy around renaming the seven dwarves as magical creatures, it’s clear that reboots spark strong opinions. It’ll be interesting to see how this one unfolds – maybe Scooby will even be portrayed by a golden retriever?
Scooby-Doo dates back to 1969
The Scooby-Doo! franchise, created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, was launched in 1969 with the duo’s first animated series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You. It introduced the mystery-solving teens Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley and Shaggy Rogers and of course, their talking Great Dane Scooby-Doo.
The show later moved to ABC in 1976, where it aired various spin-offs until 1986. In 1979, Scrappy-Doo – Scooby’s brave and energetic nephew – was introduced to boost declining ratings. Scrappy remained a key character throughout the 1980s, though he became divisive among fans.
From 1988 to 1991, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo ran on ABC. After a hiatus, the franchise returned on WB and Cartoon Network in the 2000s, continuing with new series on Boomerang, Netflix, and HBO Max.
The new series on Netflix won’t be the first time the franchise has been seen in live-action. In 2002, Scooby-Doo made its live-action debut with a feature film directed by Raja Gosnell. It starred Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, and Linda Cardellini as Velma. A major twist revealed that Scrappy-Doo, abandoned by the gang years earlier for his arrogance, was the film’s villain.
The live-action film was a box office success, spawning a 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. In 2020, the film series was rebooted with the animated film Scoob! which focuses on Shaggy and Scooby’s origins. The film grossed $28.5 million against a budget of $90 million and was criticized for its use of outdated modern pop-culture references.
