Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne are officially coming back to the silver screen. Warner Bros. has set Sept. 21, 2018 as the release date for the new animated feature film, according to Variety.
Unlike the most recent live-action theatrical releases, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), the reboot will bring Scooby back to his roots in the animated world. However, Warner will be counting on two of the same producers from the live-action films— Charles Roven and Richard Suckle — to make another cinematic hit. Co-producer Allison Abbate (The Iron Giant, The Fantastic Mr. Fox) will assist Roven and Suckle in bringing the gang to life.
“It’s wonderful to be working with this talented and inspired team of filmmakers,” said Warner Bros. exec Sue Kroll in a statement. “We couldn’t ask for better producers than Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, and Allison Abbate, who have such affection and respect for this property and know the Hanna-Barbera universe so well.”
As expected, Warner — under its Warner Animation Group division — will be bringing out all of the stops for the latest iteration of one of the most celebrated cartoon franchises in Hanna-Barbera’s arsenal.
Tony Cervone, known for Space Jam and also a Scooby Doo franchise vet, will direct. Most recently, Cervone directed the animated film Scooby-Doo! and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery (yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like); he also helmed the Cartoon Network TV series Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated from 2010 to 2014.
While Warner had scaled back its animated features since 2003’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Warner Animation Group scored a massive hit last year with The LEGO Movie. The studio is hoping that re-imagining these classic stars based originally on the 1969 animated TV show will be similarly successful.
“Like countless fans, I have always loved the Hanna-Barbera cast of characters,” said Warner Bros. president of creative development and worldwide production in a statement. “As one of their most famous brand ambassadors, Scooby-Doo will take the lead in reintroducing this pantheon of enduringly popular animated stars on a grand scale with an exciting new movie.”
