- Netflix is developing a live-action Scooby-Doo series that will be an update of the classic cartoon.
- The show will be produced by Greg Berlanti’s company and written by Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg.
- Previously, Appelbaum and Rosenberg worked with Netflix on Cowboy Bebop , while Berlanti is best known for producing The CW’s Arrowverse.
A live-action Scooby-Doo series is in development at Netflix. Focusing on a mystery-solving gang of teenagers (Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy) and their talking canine, Scooby-Doo, the franchise began all the way back in 1969 with the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?. Since then, the property has continued across countless television shows, animated movies, and live-action features. Most recently, a more adult incarnation, Max’s Velma, has stirred up controversy, with season 2 releasing on April 25.
Per Deadline, a new reimagining of the classic cartoon is coming to Netflix. Once more making the beloved classic show a reality, Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series will be produced by longtime Arrowverse producer Greg Berlanti’s Berlanti Productions for Warner Bros. Television. The show will be written by Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg, who were involved with Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop adaptation.
What To Expect From Netflix’s Scooby-Doo Adaptation
Riverdale Could Provide Some Clues About Scooby-Doo’s Tone
Netflix’s new Scooby-Doo reimagining will mark the first time since 2018’s direct-to-video Velma & Daphne that Mystery Incorporated has been rendered in live-action. Before that, there was the now-cult classic James Gunn-penned Scooby-Doo movie duology, and a TV movie reboot that was released on Cartoon Network, 2009’s Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and 2010’s Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster. Additionally, fans added a Riverdale twist to the franchise with the web series Mystery Incorporated, which may hold a glimpse at what Netflix’s attempt may offer.
In addition to the Arrowverse, Berlanti and his production company produced the gritty Archie Comics adaptation Riverdale, alongside its Netflix spin-off The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, infusing the colorful melodrama of Archie Andrews’ high school years with darkness and mysteries. While Riverdale‘s outlandish plots gradually became infamous, it can be argued that it worked well for the show, and could work for a Scooby-Doo series as well. All that remains to be seen is how broad a demographic Netflix is targeting with their series.
Scooby-Doo is a franchise that has left viewers entertained for years across multiple generations, acting as kids’ first introduction to mystery and horror-inspired media through the lens of silly antics and a gang of meddling kids. It has been reimagined as a more tongue-in-cheek movie for older fans, a Twin Peaks-esque serialized drama, and now a cynical adult cartoon thanks to Velma. While not every incarnation has been a hit, Netflix’s new Scooby-Doo adaptation is sure to continue to intrigue viewers.
Source: Deadline, Screenrant