Announced almost a year ago, the live-action Scooby-Doo series is moving forward at Netflix. The platform is finally giving some news about its project, but unfortunately, it's far from reassuring. In April 2024, The Hollywood Reporter already revealed the outline of this adaptation, and the red N now confirms that the plans have not changed. Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg are maintaining their roles as showrunners and will therefore be in charge of directing the series. Greg Berlanti remains as executive producer. But the combination of these profiles could just as easily prove miraculous as catastrophic.
While Greg Berlanti has already proven himself on major heroic productions, such as the series Flash, Arrow and Supergirl, the track record of his new colleagues is much less reassuring. Josh Appelbaum is known for the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films of 2014 and 2016, as well as the Netflix adaptation of Cowboy Bepop. For his part, Scott Rosenberg is credited with the reboot of Jumanji and even the 2018 Venom. You see where we're going with this: these past failures don't bode well for the new Scooby-Doo series.
In its latest press release, Netflix gives the floor to Peter Friedland, vice president of scripted series, who promises to “delight longtime fans while opening this world of wacky adventures to a new generation of kids.” A balancing act that promises to be complex, especially since the newly revealed synopsis already smacks of one teen series too many.
A “modernized” adaptation, but not too much, please!
Here’s what the red N revealed in its press release:
“Based on the Hanna-Barbera characters, this new series is a modern reimagining of the iconic group of teenagers and their very special dog, looking to solve mysteries. During their final summer camp at Camp Ruby-Spears, old friends Shaggy and Daphne become embroiled in the haunting mystery of a Great Dane who allegedly witnessed a supernatural murder. With Velma, the pragmatic and scientific city girl, and Freddy, the strange and attractive newcomer, they undertake to solve this case that draws them into a frightening nightmare that threatens to expose all their secrets.“Reading the words “modern reimagining,” “teen group,” and “summer camp,” another nightmare comes to mind: Riverdale. Is Netflix going to adapt Scooby-Doo in the style of a teen thriller? On paper, the idea of a prequel telling the story of the group’s meeting and Scooby’s origin isn’t bad, but the artistic direction of the project promises to be decisive.
Also, let’s not forget that after One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender, the platform has shown capable of respecting great works of pop culture. Even the very youth-oriented recipe of Wednesday managed to gain unanimous support from viewers. All is not lost for the live-action series Scooby-Doo, even if the beginnings already seem to be on the border between kitsch and discomfort.
It is by fully embracing the absurd DNA of the cartoon that the 2002 live-action feature film has established itself as a classic despite its imperfect execution. We can only hope that Netflix also goes in this direction. Otherwise, we are not safe from a disaster worthy of the Powerpuff Girls series, canceled when there was still time.
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