Warner Bros. has been working hard for years to try and get a new Scooby-Doo movie off the ground. It began in 2013, talk continued in 2014, and now in 2015 it looks like the project is actually happening. This is because the film now has a brand new director attached to make it a reality.
According to Deadline, filmmaker Tony Cervone has been tapped by Warner Bros. to take the helm if a new animated Scooby-Doo film - and it makes sense when you consider his past work. The guy is a veteran of the Looney Tunes world, and even had a hand in making the 1996 film Space Jam (serving as an animation director). Meanwhile, Charles Roven and Richard Suckle are attached to the movie as producers, having previously produced the last Scooby-Doo movies, but it's still a funny development when you consider that the last project they worked on together was the David O. Russell period drama American Hustle.
While it may feel like a long time ago, it was really very recently that we last had the opportunity to see Scooby-Doo on the big screen. Back in 2002, a young James Gunn scripted a live-action version of the classic cartoon for director Raja Gosnell, and that film was followed by a 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. The reason why we haven't seen a Scooby-Doo movie since is because the sequel was a disappointment for the studio, making nearly $100 million less than its predecessor at the global box office.
Beyond the fact that the film will be animated, the trade report doesn't make mention of the style in which this new Scooby-Doo will be made. Of course, the great Hanna-Barbera cartoon is best known for being in 2D, but it wouldn't exactly be a huge surprise to see Warner Bros. tempted to make the film with three dimensional CGI. I'm personally hoping that the studio winds up taking the classic approach, but I wouldn't put any money on it either.
Obviously attaching filmmakers in key roles is a big step for this new version of Scooby Doo, but it's worth mentioning that the nature of the format means that the film is still a few years away from release. In fact, the studio has already carved out a September 21, 2018 slot for the movie. It may seem ridiculous for WB to plant a flag in a weekend that's still more than three years away, but it's not that surprising when you consider that it is just one of 25 movies that have been penciled in already by various studios.
It may be a while before we hear any bigger details about the development of Scooby-Doo, but if you had your choice, who would you cast for the voices of Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby-Doo? Hit the comments with your suggestions.
