Velma Dinkley is getting her own Scooby-Doo spinoff origin story at HBO Max, with Mindy Kaling set to executive produce and voice the character. The long-running Scooby-Doo franchise has been around in some form or another since 1969. Various iterations of the iconic, mystery-solving gang have captured different generations' hearts, and the live-action adaptations from the early 2000s and Scooby-Doo cartoons are meme fodder to this day.

Both Linda Cardellini (Freak and Geeks) and pop star Hayley Kiyoko have played live action versions of Velma. Cardellini took on the role in 2002's Scooby-Doo and its sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Kiyoko played Velma in the 2009 film Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, but that movie failed to take off in the same way its live-action predecessors did. Gina Rodriguez voiced the character in Scoob!, a computer animated film that came out in 2020. Kaling, though, is bringing a new twist to Velma.

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HBO Max announced Kaling will be executive producing the Scooby-Doo series based around Velma. Kaling will also be voicing her in what is being described as an origin story for the character. The spinoff is being billed as an adult animated series tackling the "unsung and under appreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang." The show will dive deep into Velma's roots in an "original and humorous spin that unmasks the complex and colorful past of one of America’s most beloved mystery solvers."

Velma and Daphne Scooby Doo

The vastly underrated Velma Dinkley has long been a side character to the main duo of Scooby and Shaggy. It's high time for her to take the spotlight and explore just how the gang's smartest member became the character viewers all know and love. Cardellini's take on Velma was a fan-favorite, but, because she had to share screen time with the rest of the cast, the live action Scooby-Doo movies never spent much time with the character. The new HBO show will be a chance for her to finally shine on her own while also exploring her intriguing past, which has largely remained untapped until now.

Kaling seems like the perfect person to spearhead this spinoff The actress has proven time and time again to be a comedic force to be reckoned with. Her time on The Office brought her to the mainstream, and she spent as much time on that show acting as she did writing for it. Kaling also helmed her own sitcom, The Mindy Project, that ran for six successful seasons. Kaling has more than proven herself as both an actress and producer, so the Scooby-Doo spinoff will be an exciting addition to her repertoire.

More: HBO Max's New Looney Tunes Succeeds Where Scoob Failed

Source: HBO Max