The late Casey Kasem may have been the first actor to bring Scooby-Doo character Shaggy Rogers to life, but ever since Kasem retired from the role in 2009, Matthew Lillard has been regularly voicing the character, and had already played Scooby Doo’s best pal in the first two live-action movies. However, when it came time to put Scoob! together, the filmmakers decided to cast Will Forte as Shaggy instead.
This move was incredibly disappointing for Matthew Lillard, as he laid out when it was brought up in an interview about how Will Forte was cast as Shaggy for Scoob!:
About Scoob, I don’t have a lot of nice things to say. I wish them well, I hope the movie does really well. I mean, it was a drag. And I was surprised that happened. And I think Hollywoods an interesting place and I’ve been around for a long time. Some of them are easier than others when you don’t get a job, but that one was a bummer. I like playing the part I like sort of having a legacy and a career that I’ve spent 30 years doing. So I like the fact that I was that part, and it was a bummer that it went a different way.
Shaggy Rogers is certainly one of Matthew Lillard’s most recognizable roles, if not ranked at the top of the list. Following his live action appearances in 2002’s Scooby-Doo and 2004’s Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Lillard starting taking over regular animated Shaggy duties with the animated series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, returning to voice him in numerous other shows, TV specials and direct-to-video movies.
So it’s understandable why Matthew Lillard was upset that he wasn’t chosen to reprise Shaggy Rogers in Scoob!, which he conveyed while speaking with Entertainment Tonight’s Ash Crossan. He’s not the only Scooby-Doo alum who’s expressed disappointment and not being brought onto the project, as Grey DeLisle-Griffin, who’s been voicing Daphne Blake for more than 20 years now, expressed similar sentiments this week. That said, Lillard made it clear that he doesn’t hold any ill will towards the movie overall, and also tweeted the following today:
So while you won’t be hearing Matthew Lillard in Scoob!, you can still hear him as Shaggy Rogers on the TV and direct-to-video front for the foreseeable future. He and Grey DeLisle-Griffin currently star on the Cartoon Network/Boomerang series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, which also features Kate Micucci as Velma Dinkley and Frank Welker as both Fred Jones and Scooby-Doo.
As for who’s starring in Scoob!, Will Forte is joined by Frank Welker reprising Scooby-Doo, Zac Efron as Fred Jones, Amanda Seyfried as Daphne Blake and Gina Rodriguez as Velma Dinkley. Scoob! is also notable for featuring characters from other corners of the Hanna-Barbera franchise, including Mark Wahlberg as Blue Falcon, Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly, Kiersey Clemons as De Dee Sykes, Ken Jeong as Dynomutt and Tracy Morgan as Captain Caveman.
Scoob! is now available to rent or buy on VOD, and as for what movies are slated to hit theaters later in the year, you can find that information in our 2020 release schedule.
