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Netflix taps Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Venom writers for live-action Scooby Doo adaptation

Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg have written the pilot for a "modern reimagining" of the Scooby Doo mythos. Unknown as of this writing? If the dog talks

Scooby Doo Gang Looking At Camera
Image credit: Hanna Barbara

Ruh-roh. After decades of being one of Warner Bros.'s most beloved franchises, Scooby Doo is ditching Max for a new spot at Netflix. On March 26, we learned that the popular streamer will adapt the Mystery Gang into a live-action series, with a pilot by writers Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg already complete.

Announced via a social media post, the synopsis for Netflix's take on the Scooby Doo franchise reads as follows:

"In this modern reimagining, old friends Shaggy and Daphne team up at summer camp with scientific townie Velma and the strange but handsome Fred to solve the mystery of a lonely lost Great Dane puppy — who may have witnessed a supernatural murder."

The fact that the gang isn't already friends at the beginning of this series is maybe the biggest departure from Scooby Doo series in the past - bigger, even than the fact that real supernatural forces may be at play (Remember Zombie Island? Witch's Ghost? I could go on). Also unclear is whether "modern" in this series will also mean "more mature." We've seen Netflix very successfully dip into R-Rated teen horror with its Fear Street series, but we also assume that it learned the lessons of HBO's Velma.

It's worth noting, in this regard, that the two people we know are attached have both written for things that are targeted at the older, edgier side of teen entertainment. Appelbaum, for example, wrote the Michael Bay Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while Scott Rosenberg is in the Venom credits.

There's certainly going to be more live-action Scooby Doo news soon, not the least of which will be the casting of Velma, Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and perhaps even Scooby Doo (should he need a voice).

We'll be updating you on more of Netflix's Scooby Doo news as it comes out.


Who's going to direct the new Scooby Doo? Might we suggest Mr. Knives Out, Rian Johnson

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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