The iconic “Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you?” song has been on the minds of ‘Scooby-Doo’ fans since news broke about a potential live-action series based on the classic Warner Bros. IP. According to Variety, streaming giant Netflix is in talks to develop ‘Scooby-Doo! The Live-Action Series,’ with writers Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg attached to the project.
The one-hour drama is reportedly close to securing a deal at Netflix with a script-to-series commitment. While specific plot details are scarce, it’s known that the series will be based on the beloved Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Warner Bros. Television will produce the show, having recently launched the “Dead Boys Detectives” series on Netflix.
Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg will write and executive produce, along with Andre Nemec and Jeff Pinkner under their Midnight Radio banner. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Leigh London Redman will also executive produce through Berlanti Productions, which is currently under an overall deal at WBTV. Jonathan Gabay and Adrienne Erickson will co-executive produce for Berlanti Productions.
The Scooby-Doo! franchise, created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, debuted in 1969 with the animated series ‘Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!’ under Hanna-Barbera (later Warner Bros. Animation). This Netflix project won’t be the first live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo; the 2002 film ‘Scooby-Doo,’ starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, and Neil Fanning as the voice of Scooby, was a box office hit, grossing over USD 250 million worldwide.
Its sequel, ‘Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed,’ released in 2004, also performed well, grossing over USD 180 million. Additionally, there were live-action TV films ‘Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins’ and its sequel, released in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
The Scooby-Doo franchise has seen various animated projects over the years, starting with the original cartoon series in the late 1960s. Numerous incarnations have followed, including multiple animated series and films, making it a beloved and enduring franchise.