Scooby-Doo Live-Action Series’ Main Cast Revealed

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Mystery Inc. is getting the gang back together.

On March 18th, Netflix announced the cast joining McKenna Grace in the new live-action Scooby-Doo movie, which is based on the classic cartoon. These actors will play members of the mystery-solving team.

The upcoming Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping star will play Daphne Blake, while Maxwell Jenkins (known for Lost in Space) will be Fred Jones. Abby Ryder Fortson (Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.) will play Velma Dinkley, and Tanner Hagen (The Pitt) will play Shaggy Rogers, Scooby’s best friend.

On March 18th, Tanner excitedly announced on Instagram, “Is this even real life?” He shared that he’s incredibly thankful to be playing the famous character Shaggy Rogers in the new live-action Scooby-Doo series coming to Netflix, and expressed gratitude to those who supported him. He ended with a cheerful, “See you soon, everyone!”

For her part, Mckenna detailed her mutual eagerness.

“JEEPERSSSS I’m so excited,” she shared on her Instagram Stories. “The start of the mystery gang.” 

Maxwell also expressed his gratitude on Instagram, saying he’s “so grateful for the opportunity.”

Netflix is creating a fresh take on the Scooby-Doo franchise—the first live-action version since the 2004 film Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Linda Cardellini, and Matthew Lillard. This new series will show how the Mystery Inc. gang first came together and met Scooby-Doo.

The new series shows how the teenage detectives first met, focusing on Shaggy and Daphne during their last summer at camp. They become involved in a spooky mystery involving a lost Great Dane puppy who might have seen something supernatural happen.

Velma, a practical and scientifically-minded local, and Freddy, a mysterious but attractive new student, join forces to investigate a case that quickly spirals into a terrifying nightmare, threatening to reveal everyone’s hidden secrets.

Before the new Scooby-Doo show arrives, discover some interesting facts about the making of the 2002 live-action film.

As a lifestyle expert, I remember when the idea of bringing Scooby-Doo to life with real actors first started floating around – way back in 1994! It was a really long process getting it made, and a lot of big names were considered. Honestly, at different points, Mike Myers and Jim Carrey were even in the running! Eventually, in October of 2000, Raja Gosnell ended up directing the movie.

James Gunn, later known for directing successful superhero movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, originally wrote the script for the Scooby-Doo movie with an R-rating. However, producer Charles Roven realized that wouldn’t work. “Let’s be reasonable, no one makes an R-rated Scooby-Doo movie,” he explained. The script did receive an R-rating from the MPAA initially due to some language concerns, but those were resolved.

Gosnell and Gunn didn’t intend to create an R-rated film, but they envisioned a PG-13 parody of Scooby-Doo, inspired by their love of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon. As Gosnell explained, their approach to Scooby-Doo was similar to how Shrek playfully deconstructed fairy tales and Austin Powers spoofed James Bond. The script, written by James Gunn, was full of knowing nods to the original, constantly referencing and acknowledging the source material.

Gosnell shared that the first cut of the movie was made with original cartoon fans in mind and included hints about Velma’s sexuality and more jokes about marijuana. However, the studio later decided to aim for a broader audience and asked for changes.

According to Gosnell, the goal was to appeal to the existing Scooby-Doo audience – young children and their parents. After a test screening with parents in Scottsdale, Arizona, which he described as a “pretty conservative” group, the movie didn’t receive a positive reaction. This led to a quick effort to remove any hints that Velma might be gay. The filmmakers then focused on salvaging the movie and making it the best it could be, given the new direction they were receiving.

According to Gosnell, they removed all references to the word “soul” after receiving strong negative reactions from religious viewers during test screenings.

When we were filming, we didn’t realize how it would be interpreted, but the energy we extracted from people to create the demon, we initially called ‘souls’ because the machine seemed to steal them. However, after a test screening, we received strong criticism from religious viewers who objected to the idea. We didn’t intend to imply anything about souls, so we had to go back and edit the film, replacing every mention of ‘souls’ with the more neutral term ‘protoplasm’.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe what I found out! Apparently, there was a scene cut from the movie where Daphne and Velma kissed while they were swapping bodies! Can you even imagine?! They were literally becoming each other, those gorgeous protoplasms, and they had a moment! It’s devastating it didn’t make the final cut, honestly. I need to see this scene!

Gosnell explained that the studio made the final call to remove the kiss. He added that his biggest disappointment was not being able to share the original version of the film with its intended viewers.

For the roles of Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy, Gosnell said he got exactly who he wanted, casting Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini, and Matthew Lillard in those roles, respectively.

We knew we needed the right actors for this movie, and a big part of that was finding people audiences would connect with in these roles. For Shaggy, as soon as Matthew Lillard came in for an audition, we all immediately knew he was perfect – it was a done deal! We’d seen a lot of people, but he just embodied the character.

According to Gosnell, J.K. Lillard prepared for the role of Shaggy by screaming for about five minutes each morning to get the character’s raspy voice just right.

The filmmakers hadn’t planned to cast a couple who were actually together as Fred and Daphne. It was Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar who suggested the idea to them.

Gosnell remembered when Freddie Prinze Jr. expressed interest in playing Fred. “He told us he’d been called Fred his whole life!” he said. With Sarah Michelle Gellar also wanting to play Daphne, it was an easy decision – everything just fell into place.

Although Fred and Daphne weren’t ever portrayed as a couple on the original show, the producers believed audiences always saw them that way. So, casting a real-life couple felt like a natural fit and would likely appeal to viewers, according to Gosnell.

10. Prinze and Gellar had no hesitations about starring in the movie together, Gosnell said. 

The director said that the actors were particularly drawn to the project because they’d get to play a couple they both remembered from their childhood. He emphasized that this was a major benefit, not a drawback.

Freddie Prinze Jr. had to make a big physical transformation to play Fred. According to costume designer Marlene Stewart, Prinze is naturally dark-haired and handsome, but the role required him to be blonde and wear an ascot. They wanted to stay true to the original character design, so he dyed his hair, which was difficult for him. They also likely lightened his eyebrows as part of the process.

For the 2004 follow-up movie, Gosnell explained they simply shaved Freddie Prinze Jr.’s head and used a wig. Prinze had refused to dye his hair again, so they found a different solution.

The team struggled a bit to find the right actress for the role of Mary Jane, Shaggy’s girlfriend, until they discovered a relatively unknown Isla Fisher. According to Gosnell, she instantly won them over during her audition with Matthew, captivating everyone within the first ten seconds.

The character wasn’t always called Mary Jane. The creators, Gunn and Gosnell, changed the name as a playful nod to marijuana.

Carrie Fisher was naturally a redhead, but she wore a blonde wig for the film. Director Gary Marshall wanted to avoid her looking too much like Daphne, a character she’d recently played, according to Gosnell.

When filming scenes with Scooby-Doo, who was created using computer graphics, the crew used a large stuffed animal or bag as a stand-in for the character. This helped the actors interact naturally with Scooby, especially when Bob Lillard’s character was holding him.

According to Gosnell, Matthew’s incredible acting skills were key to bringing Scooby to life. He was always naturally aware of where Scooby would be, making the character feel genuine and simplifying the animation process.

Although Neil Fanning was initially brought in to do Scooby-Doo’s voice during practice sessions, director Joe Gosnell explained that Fanning performed the role so well, he ended up voicing the character in the final film.

According to Gosnell, making Scrappy the villain was a particularly debated choice. As a longtime fan of the original show, he felt Scrappy negatively impacted it. ‘It just seemed like the moment Scrappy came on, we were out,’ he explained. The idea came during a brainstorming session with James as they were developing the final plot twist. ‘It was like, ‘Yes! Scrappy!’ – it just felt right,’ Gosnell said.

Regarding the strong reactions to Scrappy’s villainous turn, Gosnell explained that many younger fans grew up loving the character, which fueled the debate. People questioned why they’d changed Scrappy, but Gosnell felt it fit the character’s unpredictable nature. The twist sparked a lot of discussion depending on when people first watched Scooby-Doo, and ultimately, the decision was well-received because a significant number of viewers already disliked Scrappy.

As a longtime Sugar Ray fan, I remember when Mark McGrath and the band seemed to suddenly play a ‘possessed’ performance back in 2002. But it turns out it wasn’t as spontaneous as it looked! There was actually a reason behind it.

Gosnell explained that while it’s less common now, big movies used to always have dedicated soundtracks. He recalled that Mark McGrath approached them with a specific request: ‘We have a scene where the character James is in a band – could we use a real band?’ They pulled it off wonderfully, and the actors had a blast when their characters transformed into demons.

Of course, they also enlisted Shaggy to sing the theme song, and Gosnell playfully said it was a given that would happen.

Pamela Anderson briefly appeared as herself at the start of the film, a fun reference to the surprise celebrity cameos featured in the original cartoon.

We were brainstorming who would be the most surprising celebrity to appear in the scene,” Gosnell explained. “Pamela Anderson immediately came to mind! She even flew all the way to Australia for that brief appearance, which was amazing.”

Originally, there were plans for a third movie, but Warner Bros. decided to put the project on hold. According to Gosnell, this was because the second movie didn’t make as much money as the first, leading them to reconsider the idea. Despite this, Gosnell says he would have happily made another film if given the chance.

Even though the studio altered the initial concept to make the series more unconventional, Gosnell isn’t upset about it.

I understand why the studio made those choices. Scooby-Doo is a valuable brand for them – it’s everywhere, from cereal boxes to shoes and backpacks. They were initially open to a parody film, but ultimately, they didn’t want to damage the Scooby-Doo brand with it. That was their main concern, and we adjusted the movie to fit their vision.

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2026-03-19 04:00