Netflix Is Developing a Live-Action “Scooby-Doo” Series

Greg Berlanti and Netflix ride the Mystery Machine.

The streaming giant is nearing a deal for a live-action TV series based on Hanna-Barbera’s hit animated film Scooby-Doo. The project has a script-to-series commitment at Netflix, and if the script is well-received, it will be seen as a live-action update of the classic animated film and will be ordered straight to series.

Representatives for Netflix, producer Warner Bros. Television, and Berlanti Productions declined to comment because the deal has not yet been officially finalized.

Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg, who previously adapted “Cowboy Bebop” for Netflix and “High Fidelity” for Hulu, will write and executive produce through their Midnight Radio banner Andre Nemec and Jeff Pinkner. Berlanti and his Berlanti Productions partner Sarah Schechter will executive produce alongside the company’s Lee London Redman. Jonathan Gabay of Berlanti Productions and Midnight Radio’s Adrienne Erickson are credited as co-executive producers. Berlanti’s longtime home base, Warner Bros. Television, owns animation studio Hanna-Barbera, which is the studio behind the show.

The dramatic live-action version of Scooby-Doo is a popular Warner Bros. film about a dog and his friends Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne (with occasional appearances by his less-loved nephew Scrappy-Doo). It appears after rebooting the series. The mystery was made into a live-action feature film in the early 2000s. The film, written by James Gunn and starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, and Rowan Atkinson, grossed $275 million worldwide. Two years later, production began on the sequel. The third film was ultimately canceled. However, in 2009, Cartoon Network produced a live-action horror film with a then-mostly unknown cast.

Recently, Warner’s brother Max launched an animated spin-off for adults called Velma. (The second season of the series, produced by executive producer and voice actor Mindy Kaling, will premiere in April, with further updates awaited.)

Created by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969 The animated film Scooby-Doo was released in syndication. It was produced by CBS and ABC until it was canceled in 1986. The series has spawned numerous animated adaptations and spin-offs over the years, and is considered one of the best TV cartoons of all time.

Scooby-Doo drama is coming as Berlanti continues to stream on Netflix. In addition to Netflix’s Lifetime hit “You,” Berlanti recently released the Max movie “Dead Boy Detectives.” The series, which is considered a spin-off of The Sandman, entered Netflix’s top 10 US series within 24 hours of its release. Berlanti Productions also produced Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Berlanti/Schechter Films also has a first-look feature deal with the streamer. Berlanti’s TV slate also includes Max’s “Girls on the Bus” (which was briefly in development at Netflix), the final season of “Superman & Lois” for The CW, “All American,” “All American: Homecoming,” NBC’s “Found” and the upcoming medical drama Dr. Wolf. Berlanti is repped by CAA and Felker Toczek.

For Midnight Radio, “Scooby” would be the latest TV show from the prolific production company, following “Citadel” for Amazon and “From” for MGM+. The WME-repped company previously developed “Cowboy Bebop” as a live-action series from the anime adaptation.