Scooby-Doo Set to Return to Theaters in 2018
Scooby-Doo and his friends at Mystery Inc. are set to make a big-screen comeback in a new animated adventure in 2018. Warner Bros. Pictures officially announced the news this week that Scooby-Doo will return to theaters in a new feature scheduled for a September 2018 release.
Warner Bros. President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production Greg Silverman made the announcement jointly with President of Domestic Distribution Dan Fellman, President of Worldwide Marketing Sue Kroll and President of Worldwide Distribution Veronika Kwan Vandenberg. In addition, the producers of the first two live-action Scooby-Doo films, Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, are reuniting to oversee the production. They are joined by producer Allison Abbate (The Iron Giant, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Corpse Bride). Longtime animation creator Tony Cervone (The Looney Tunes Show, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated) will make his theatrical directorial debut with the film. Cervone has previously produced and directed a number of the direct-to-video Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry animated movies, but this will be the first time he’s directing a film that will receive a wide theatrical release. In addition, Phineas and Ferb co-creator Dan Povenmire will serve as executive producer for the project. Cervone directs from a script by Matt Lieberman (Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief)
“Like countless fans, I have always loved the Hanna-Barbera cast of characters,” said Warner Bros.’ Silverman on Scooby-Doo’s ambitious return to the big screen. “As one of their most famous brand ambassadors, Scooby-Doo will take the lead in re-introducing this pantheon of enduringly popular animated stars on a grand scale with an exciting new movie.”
Details on the picture are currently slim other than the fact that it will be animated and released in theaters in three years. It will be interesting to see if Warner Bros. opts for 2D, hand-drawn animation style similar to the recent animated TV shows and DTV movies or makes it a full CG animated picture. Warner Bros. hopes to reintroduce the characters and property of Scooby-Doo to moviegoers everywhere. It should be noted that WB’s announcement did not specify whether the film will be CG animated or 2D.
This will be the first Scooby-Doo movie released in theaters since Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed in 2004, which grossed only $84 million at the domestic box office and was seen as a big disappointment compared to the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo film. That movie grossed $153 million domestically and $275 million worldwide. However, both films were savaged by the critics, receiving very low review scores.
Based off the box office potential of the first movie, it is clear why Warner Bros. would want to give this franchise another shot. Studios generally want to stick with established brands and existing franchises when it comes to major releases, and Scooby-Doo fits that bill. While the live-action franchise had its detractors, it did help launch the career of writer James Gunn for major studio releases, who later went on to write and direct the amazing Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel Studios.
Scooby, Shaggy and the whole Mystery Inc. gang will be back for another groovy mystery in theaters on September 18, 2018.