Here's your first look at ''Scoob'' and the new Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe
Images: Warner Bros.
Scooby-Doo has been through a lot since his premiere in 1969. The cartoon has had reboot after reboot, films, shorts, a "kids" version (A Pup Named Scooby-Doo), live-action movies and sometimes questionable crossovers, not to mention more references in pop culture than you can count.
The last theatrical release where we saw the gang was in 2004 with Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,a sequel to the 2002 Scooby-Doo. That was a live-action version with Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini. While the movie made back its budget significantly, it only holds a 22% on Rotten Tomatoes and won a Razzie Award for Worst Sequel. There was a third film planned, but after the disappointing reception, the studio scrapped the idea.
Now Scooby is coming back to the big screen to win back moviegoing audiences. The biggest change audiences will notice is that the film is entirely animated this time, as opposed to the live-action version which only used CGI for Scooby. Reel FX, known for their work with The Book of Life (2014), Sherlock Gnomes (2018), and UglyDolls (2019), will be providing the animation for the film.
Scoob is slated to be the first entry in a Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe, which is also planned to include The Flintstones, The Jetsons and Wacky Races. While Scoob is the only feature with a release date, it will still include other characters from the Hanna-Barbera world. It isn't clear if they will be cameos or significant roles, but so far we know we'll see Captain Caveman (voiced by Tracy Morgan), Dynomutt (Ken Jeong) and Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlburg).
Frank Welker, the original voice of Scooby-Doo, will be returning as everyone's favorite mangy dog. As for the gang, we can expect Zac Efron (Greatest Showman, High School Musical) as Fred, Gina Rodriguez (Jane The Virgin, Carmen Sandiego) as Velma, Will Forte (Saturday Night Live) as Shaggy, and Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia) as Daphne.
The movie is scheduled to be released on May 15, 2020. Take a look at the released stills below.
Are you excited to see a new version of the Flintstones? Who should voice Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty?