As a filmmaker, James Gunn has become widely known for producing projects that are a bit more unconventional or feature characters and concepts that are unfamiliar to mainstream audiences. This includes his work on films like Slither and Super as well as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, who became household names after he handled their big-screen debut. Yet some forget that Gunn was also the scribe behind the two live-action Scooby Doo films of the early 2000s. While the writer-director, never got to make a third installment, he seems to have an idea for it that you probably wouldn’t guess.
Gunn held a Q&A session on Twitter and was asked what he would like to do if given the chance to write another Scooby-Doo film, and the director gave a pretty honest answer. He would apparently love to take the Mystery Inc. gang to Scotland to solve a case but, while there, they find that the real culprits are actually two of their own:
Now, that would certainly be an interesting way to approach handle the iconic talking dog and his best pal on the big screen, and James Gunn seems open to doing it. Funny enough, based on what we know about Gunn’s willingness to try bold storytelling techniques, it wouldn’t be shocking at all if he actually wrote this screenplay.
Still, with so many other projects on his plate, Gunn more than likely wouldn’t have the time to return for another Scooby-Doo movie. Additionally, Warner Bros. may not be keen on doing another live-action adaptation of the character any time soon.
Some may not know that James Gunn originally intended for 2002’s Scooby-Doo to be a bit edgier. He wanted the project to be geared towards adults and older kids. This included an R-rating and a scene involving cleavage.
Ultimately, Gunn’s plan for an updated take on the famous Hanna-Barbera character was halted by Warner Bros. After the film initially scored an R-rating (due to a particular joke in the screenplay), the film was amended to PG-13. Parental reactions to a test screening, however, would convince the studio to make Scooby-Doo a family friendly PG movie.
This wouldn’t be the only time in James Gunn’s career that a studio wasn’t pleased with his style of humor. In 2018, Gunn was relieved of his duties as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after old tweets of his were unearthed, in which he joked about pedophilia and other topics. Due Gunn’s handling of the situation, he was ultimately reinstated as director of the project in early 2019.
Even though James Gunn won’t be reviving his take on the teen sleuths and their dog, but Scooby-Doo fans will get to see them on the big screen again when the animated Scoob! hits theaters.
