Warner Bros Wouldn’t Let HBO Max’s ‘Velma’ Feature Scooby-Doo

‘Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?’ debuted as a kid’s cartoon on CBS in 1969. It has since been adapted for television and the big screen, both animated and live-action. It was recently reported that Scooby will not appear in the new show.

Polygon reports, yesterday at New York Comic-Con, a fascinating fact regarding HBO Max’s upcoming show Velma was revealed. It was revealed that Scooby-Doo will not feature in the show. The streaming giant’s latest bet for 2023 is based on the popular Scooby-Doo series, which follows the adventures of a mystery-solving gang that features legendary characters such as Daphne, Velma, Fred, Shaggy, and the beloved talking Great Dane Scooby-Doo.

Velma follows in the footsteps of the previous versions. However, it takes a far different approach than previous kid-friendly films and series about the Mystery Inc. gang. Mindy Kaling’s new HBO Max show will present itself as an adult-oriented animated TV series that will not shy away from challenging issues and gore.

Audiences will watch protagonist Velma and the rest of the gang as high schoolers. The show will also address all of the events that occur during that time period, as well as the mysteries Velma will need to solve, despite the fact that she will be without one major teammate. Mindy Kaling’s Velma show will not include Scooby-Doo, as revealed during the program’s New York Comic-Con panel.

The iconic Great Dane was considered for the show at some point, according to showrunner Charlie Grandy, but two issues kept him out of the adult animated series.

What made Scooby-Doo a kid show is Scooby-Doo. We couldn’t have a take on it, like how can we do this in a fun and modern way. [Our efforts] coincided with Warner Bros. Animation saying we can’t use the dog!

According to Grandy, the absence of Scooby on the show simply adds to Velma’s adult perspective of the characters. The Velma trailer, which was released during the NYCC panel, revealed that the program will take a radically different approach than previous Scooby-Doo-related shows and movies, not shying away from adult themes, violence, and a bit of gore. Velma will also bring a lot more diversity to the table, not being afraid to modify the ethnicities of the original characters, as Velma herself will be of South Asian descent, while Shaggy will be voiced by Sam Richardson and Daphne will be voiced by Constance Wu.

While the show’s diversity and R-rated tone have received mixed reactions, the announcement that Scooby-Doo will not appear in Velma is going to be the most polarizing decision yet from Grandy, Kaling, and her creative team. Only time will tell how audiences respond when Velma debuts on HBO Max in 2023. To get the latest updates, keep an eye on Thirsty.

What do you think of Scooby’s absence in the movie? Let us know in the comments!