Greg Berlanti and Netflix are back at it with a new iteration on Scooby-Doo. The two are teaming up for a live-action version of the classic cartoon series. The project has a script-to-series commitment at Netflix. What does that mean? Well it means that if the script is well received, it would trigger a straight-to-series order. The deal hasn’t officially closed, but the sides are almost there.
Josh Applebaum and Scott Rosenberg, who previously adapted Cowboy Bebop for Netflix are on board to write the script and executive produce. Berlanti and his Berlanti Productions partner Sarah Schechter will exec produce alongside the company’s Leigh London Redman. Berlanti Productions’ Jonathan Gabay and Midnight Radio’s Adrienne Erickson will be credited as co-exec producers.
The last time we saw a live-action Scooby Doo project was the 2000s with the cast led by Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, and Linda Cardellini. That film grossed $275 million worldwide, spawned a sequel, and then almost got a third film before it was ultimately canceled in 2009. Cartoon Network also made a live-action comedy horror TV film with a largely unknown cast that failed to catch the attention of audiences like the two movies before it did.
The adult-comedy series Velma recently debuted in April to much less fanfare than the first season. It seems that the people who violently opposed the series aren’t screaming their heads off any longer. They’re awaiting word on the future of the series from Max.
Created in 1969 by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, the animated Scooby-Doo cartoon aired in syndication on CBS and ABC until it was canceled in 1986. The franchise has gone on to feature plenty of adaptations and spinoffs over the years and is considered one of the greatest TV cartoons in history.
We’ll keep you updated on this news as we get more details.
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