Scooby-Doo, where are you? The answer is, well, he's on his way to Netflix actually. Yes, 21 years after Mystery Incorporated's lovable Great Dane made his last live-action appearance in the heinously underrated, James Gunn penned Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Scoob and the gang — Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy of course — are set to solve a fresh set of mysteries in an all-new origin series for the streamer, created by Josh Appelbaum (From) and Scott Rosenberg (Jumanji: The Next Level).
Scoob and his mystery-solving human pals have been an iconic force in popular culture for over half a century at this point, with Hanna Barbera's original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? dating all the way back to 1969 and an eye-watering 13 more toon shows and 43 animated films having followed in the years since. For this self-ascribed "modern reimagining" of the franchise however, it looks like Appelbaum and Rosenberg are looking to do something new (and vaguely Wednesday sounding.) The official description for the eight-episode series reads as follows: “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.” Move over Baby Yoda — Baby Scoob is a-comin'!
"One of my first and favorite jobs in Hollywood was sitting with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera while they signed animation cels,” said producer Greg Berlanti in a statement accompanying today's announcement. “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.”
Given last year's canning of Scoob! sequel Holiday Haunt, the cancellation of HBO adult animated offering Velma after just two seasons back in October 2024, and the revival of interest in a new live-action Scooby-Doo joint following Monsters Unleashed's recent 20th anniversary — not to mention the imminent vacancy that's about to need filling for a teen-fronted supernatural sci-fi series when Stranger Things ends later this year — it doesn't take a Velma Dinkley to see that Netflix may be on to a winner here. Stay tuned for more updates on this one just as soon as we get them, and in the meantime, treat yourself to a double bill of the OG live-action _Scooby-Doo_logy. (They're misunderstood classics — just ask any child of the 90s.)