Fans of the Mystery Machine gang have a new reason to celebrate, as a live-action Scooby-Doo series is reportedly in the works at Netflix, as reported by Comicbook.com. The project is being spearheaded by Berlanti Productions, the company known for its work on Riverdale and the Arrowverse, sparking curiosity about their fresh take on the beloved franchise.
While details about the series have been scarce over the past year, producer Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon, The Flash, Life As We Know It) recently shared an update in an interview with Deadline. Berlanti, who has a personal connection to the Scooby-Doo franchise, revealed that the pitch for the pilot episode is currently being developed.
“One of my first jobs in this business was as a temp at Hanna-Barbera,” Berlanti recounted. “I’d sit with Joe Barbera (The Yogi Bear Show, Tom And Jerry Show, The Jetsons) and Bill Hanna (The Smurfs, Scooby-Doo, Johnny Bravo) while they autographed animation cells. I would go in the morning and retrieve a bunch of these animation cells with my boss. Bill Hanna was a very stoic guy, and his office was very spare. But my favorite part of the day was visiting Joe Barbera, who was such a life force. He would stop and regale me with the greatest stories about how Scooby was created and what they were thinking at the time. It was the late ’60s, and kids felt under assault by adults and needed to be empowered. When they pitched it to Bill Paley, he suggested adding a dog, and that was the birth of Scooby-Doo. Joe was such a special storyteller.”
Berlanti continued, “I’ve always loved Scooby-Doo, and with any of the properties, whether they are Hanna-Barbera or DC, you feel lucky to be the historian who helps usher them into a new generation. You go back to the spirit and the DNA of what makes them special. We’ve spent a year and a half hearing pitches and finally found one that captures it. I was just working on the pitch for the first episode this morning, so we’re really pumped.”
As mentioned by Comicbook.com, plot details for the new Scooby-Doo series remain under wraps. However, the news outlet said the show is expected to be a one-hour drama. Josh Appelbaum (Life On Mars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and Scott Rosenberg (Jumanji: The Next Level, Beautiful Girls, Gone In 60 Seconds) are developing the series and will serve as writers and executive producers if it moves forward.