Axl Rose (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas), lead singer for the best-selling hard rock band Guns N’ Roses, will reportedly be the next special guest on the animated mystery comedy Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, as reported by CNN. Season two’s “Dark Diner of Route 66!” will allegedly see the heavy metal vocalist voicing himself as he links up with Shaggy (Matthew Lillard, Twin Peaks: The Return) and Scooby (Frank Welker, Futurama) as they attempt to retrieve their beloved Mystery Machine from group of thieving mud men, according to Fanboy Factor. The episode premieres on February 25 on Boomerang, but brief clips showcasing Rose’s voice acting chops have already made their way online, via Entertainment Weekly. Get sneak peek at this once-in-a-lifetime team-up below:
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? showrunner Chris Bailey (Kim Possible) explained that once Rose agreed to guest star as himself, some of the rocker’s real-world interests were incorporated into his episode’s story. “We just read that Axl was into archaeology and motorcycles. And so it was like, ‘Alright, let’s have some ancient… ruins in the middle of the desert and some big mud men Scooby-Doo monsters [sic] in there that are trying to steal the gold,’ ” Bailey recalled, via Rolling Stone.
Rose has actually played himself in a Boomerang cartoon before. 2019 saw an animated Rose rubbing shoulders with one Bugs Bunny (Jeff Bergman, Our Cartoon President) in an episode of New Looney Tunes, according to The A.V. Club. Furthermore, that episode was notable for featuring “Rock the Rock,” an original track written specifically for the episode that technically represented Rose’s first new song in over decade, as reported by The A.V. Club.
As its title might suggest, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? features guest appearances from a wide variety of high-profile celebrities, as well as familiar fictional characters. Other A-list songsters aside from Rose who have voiced themselves on the program include Sia (Music), Macklemore (Dave), and Kacey Musgraves (Earwig and the Witch). The franchise installment Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? most closely resembles is The New Scooby-Doo Movies, collection of hourlong specials that aired on CBS during the early 1970’s. Several chart-topping musicians could be heard providing their own voices on the show, such as The Monkees’ Davy Jones (Head), “Mama” Cass Elliot (Pufnstuf) and Sonny & Cher (Wild on the Beach).
Rose returns to animated television with Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? on February 25 at 9 P.M. EST on Boomerang, via TV Passport.