Summary

• Netflix to produce a live-action Scooby-Doo series with a modern twist.
• The project involves Riverdale producers and writers from Cowboy Bebop.
• The Scooby-Doo franchise previously had live-action adaptations, starting in 2002.

Despite debuting over five decades ago, the Scooby-Doo franchise is expanding once again with Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series in development at Netflix. Premiering in the fall of 1969, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! follows a group of youngsters who drive around in their brightly colored van solving mysteries with their faithful canine sidekick, Scooby-Doo. With its mix of late-'60s pop culture, fun spooky settings, and instantly beloved characters, the Scooby-Doo franchise quickly became one of the most popular children's series of all time and is still going strong today.

The original Scooby-Doo series ran until 1976, but it was quickly supplemented by more reboots and spinoffs throughout the ensuing decades. Perhaps the most recognizable Hanna-Barbera cartoon of all time, there hasn't been any significant amount of time without a new Scooby-Doo TV series or movie since the character first appeared in 1969. Even the realm of live-action has seen its fair share of Scooby content, and Netflix's newly-announced plan to resurrect the Mystery Inc. gang in live-action is far from the first time. However, with such a large platform, Netflix's Scooby-Doo could be the franchise's first big win of the 2020s.

Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series Is Confirmed

The Project Was Announced In April 2024

With the franchise in a weird spot in the first few years of the 2020s, Netflix's move marks another major change as the characters find themselves reinvented over and over again to suit modern tastes

Coming as something of a surprise for long-time fans, Netflix announced their live-action Scooby-Doo series in April 2024. With the franchise in a weird spot in the first few years of the 2020s, Netflix's move marks another major change as the characters find themselves reinvented over and over again to suit modern tastes. Details about Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series are still scant, but Riverdale producer Greg Berlanti's Berlanti Productions will oversee the project for Warner Bros. Television. No cast or story details have been revealed at this time.

Who Is Making Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series?

Riverdale & Cowboy Bebop Creatives Are Involved

None of the cast members have been announced, and it isn't clear if any of Scooby-Doo's classic villains will appear, but Netflix's Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series already has a stacked crew behind the scenes. Overseeing the project for Warner Bros. Television will be Riverdale producer Greg Berlanti through Berlanti Productions. The scripts will be penned by the writing duo of Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg who helped create Netflix's divisive Cowboy Bebop live-action series.

Netflix's Cowboy Bebop is based on the eponymous anime series and lasted for 1 season in 2021.

Perhaps most telling about the tone of Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series is the involvement of Berlanti who helped bring the Archie Comics into the modern day with a refreshed approach in Riverdale. It hasn't been revealed yet, but it's assumed that Netflix's Scooby-Doo will be darker in tone than its cartoon predecessors, and Berlanti Productions is no stranger to adapting something for an older audience than it was originally intended.

Scooby-Doo's Live-Action Franchise Explained

Netflix's Adaptation Isn't The First Live-Action Scooby-Doo

The beloved cowardly canine has appeared in a slew of Scooby-Doo TV shows over the years, and nearly every piece of media with the characters has been animated. However, the franchise made its first jump to live-action with the hit 2002 film, Scooby-Doo, and helped spur a renewed interest in the cartoon at the turn of the new millennium. The theatrically released film was followed by a sequel in 2004 but the live-action franchise switched to TV movies with the release of Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins in 2009.

Scooby-Doo's live-action adventures include:

Several more TV movies and straight-to-video films were produced throughout the 2010s, but the scale was much smaller than the earlier blockbusters from 2002 and 2004. With reboots like Velma attempting to take the franchise in a decidedly more adult direction, it's unclear exactly how Netflix's Scooby-Doo: The Live Action Series will fit into the half-century-old series. However, the past has clearly shown that live-action is a viable medium for the Scooby-Doo characters if done correctly.