Summary
- A new live-action Scooby-Doo series is set to explore the origins of Mystery, Inc. with a fresh approach.
- The series will feature Shaggy and Daphne as lifelong friends solving a mystery at camp, bringing the gang together.
- With casting underway, fans can hope for a show that lives up to the potential of the iconic franchise.
The Scooby-Doo franchise has seen some questionable direction recently, but a new project confirmed for a major streaming push is now set to return the iconic IP all the way back to its roots in a very literal sense.
Scooby-Doo was the best thing to come out of Hanna-Barbera, providing the creative and commercial spark that led to the company’s unparalleled dominance in the 70s. The team of meddling kids and their titular dog had a wide variety of adventures, which only expanded even further afield when Hanna-Barbera and its intellectual property were absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation in the early 2000s. Since that transfer, the franchise has seen a plethora of different adaptations in every imaginable medium beyond just animation and several interpretations of the original concept with varying degrees of success and acceptance among fans.
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With the most recent high-profile Scooby-Doo project being divisive and getting canned at Max, the franchise has been in the market for a fresh approach, and there’s no better candidate than going back to the beginning. As reported by Deadline, a new live-action Scooby-Doo project exploring a new take on the character’s origins is taking shape at Netflix from Berlanti Productions. The eight-episode series will be run by Josh Appelbaum & Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio, who also wrote the upcoming show. Peter Friedlander, VP of Scripted Series at Netflix, released a statement in which he assured fans that “Josh and Scott and everyone at Midnight Radio have crafted a story that captures [Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera]’s amazing spirits and their genius creation.”
Mystery, Inc. is back in business! We’re excited to bring Scooby-Doo to TV as a live-action series for the first time. 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. Together with creative powerhouses Berlanti Productions and Midnight Radio, we’re committed to delighting longtime fans and opening up a world of groovy adventures for a new era of meddling kids.
Despite its decades-long history, this live-action series is a first for the franchise, despite two separate live-action films, one of which is still fondly remembered and spawned a sequel. The upcoming series is set to portray Shaggy and Daphne as longtime friends who get swept up in a mystery during their last year at camp, which will bring the whole crew together, including Scoob. This approach means a whole new intricate origin for the Mystery gang and whole new stars for the cast. This is especially fortunate as no live-action adaptation can possibly beat 2002’s Scooby-Doo‘s casting. Even two decades later, there’s no way those roles could be recast successfully without some fan pushback. A prequel of sorts might actually be the best shot the franchise has at setting the stage for more live-action projects down the line. First, though, the live-action show will have to scale the high bar that decades of fan-favorite animated shows have set.
There’s sure to be a lot more to discuss as casting is underway for the upcoming series for Netflix, which recently broke the curse of live-action anime adaptations with One Piece. This serves both the streamer’s desire for top-tier adaptations of proven franchises and Warner Bros. Discovery’s ongoing mandate to maximize their expansive catalog of incredibly popular IPs. Fans can hope that this motivation and the lessons of the past decade of hit or miss adaptations will help produce a show that really does live up to the potential of the franchise.
The bulk of the Scooby-Doo franchise is available to stream on Max.
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Source: Deadline