Gina Rodriguez and Will Forte have been cast in Warner Bros.’ new Scooby-Doo film. The currently untitled animated feature marks the first theatrical Scooby production since Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Written by James Gunn, the 2004 sequel earned over $181 million at the box office on a $25 million budget, with Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred Jones, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne Blake, Linda Cardellini and Velma Blake, and Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers.
Created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, Scooby-Doo first appeared in CBS' Scooby-Doo, Where Are You. The animated mystery comedy aired for two seasons between 1969 and and 1970. By 1978, ABC aired Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics and The Scooby-Doo Show. All three of the series were produced by Hanna-Barbera and feature a storyline in which four teenagers solve mysteries involving supernatural characters. Since 2002, Warner Bros. has released five live-action comedy films based on the original Scooby-Doo cartoon, with the latest being 2018’s Daphne & Velma, a direct-to-video production starring Sarah Jeffery and Vanessa Marano.
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Per The Wrap, Gina Rodriguez has been voice cast as Warner Bros.’ new Velma, and Will Forte will voice Shaggy. On television, Rodriguez is best known for portraying the title character in CW’s satire Jane the Virgin, for which she’s received numerous accolades, including a 2015 Golden Globe Award. In recent years, the 34-year-old actress has crossed over into feature films, with supporting roles in Deepwater Horizon and Annihilation, along with a starring role in the 2019 remake Miss Bala. Meanwhile, Forte - a former Saturday Night Live cast member - earned three Primetime Emmy nominations for his work on the Fox series The Last Man on Earth. On the big screen, the 48-year-old actor portrays Abraham Lincoln in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. For Warner Bros.’ new Scooby-Doo film, Tracey Morgan will voice Captain Caveman, an original Hanna-Barbera character from the late ‘70s series Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels.
On Twitter, the Scooby-Doo news surprised the aforementioned Lillard, who portrayed Shaggy in Warner Bros’ last live-action feature film. In addition, Lillard has voiced Shaggy for numerous direct-to-video films in recent years, along with voicing the character in the 2019 series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? Based on Lillard’s response, it seems that Warner Bros. failed to inform him about Forte’s casting.
While Scooby-Doo fans have become familiar with Lillard over the years, Forte offers a new spin on the infamous cowardly slacker. Tony Cervone will direct the new Warner Bros. film, with veteran filmmaker Chris Columbus set to co-produce. As beloved as Lillard's rendition of Shaggy has proven to be, one wonders how fans will receive a new actor taking on the role.
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Sources: The Wrap, Matthew Lillard