The Mystery Inc. gang is officially back, and they’ve never looked quite like this before. Netflix dropped the first look at “Scooby-Doo: Origins” today, revealing the live-action cast together for the very first time, and fans are already losing it.
Meet the New Mystery Inc.
Production is now officially underway in Atlanta, with the first photo revealing Daphne, Shaggy, Velma, and Fred peeking their heads around a door, though notably absent is Scooby-Doo himself, who will be brought to life by a VFX team.
As EntertainmentNow previously reported, the cast includes McKenna Grace as Daphne Blake, Tanner Hagen as Shaggy Rogers, Abby Ryder Fortson as Velma Dinkley, and Maxwell Jenkins as Fred Jones.
Paul Walter Hauser rounds out the main cast as Scooby’s owner. In a wonderful nod to the franchise’s legacy, Frank Welker, who has voiced both Fred and Scooby-Doo since 1969 and 2002 respectively, is reprising the role of Scooby in the series.
What the Show Is About
Billed as a modern reimagining of a franchise now more than 50 years old — spanning more than a dozen animated series, nearly 40 animated home entertainment movies, and three theatrical films — the eight-part series goes back to the very first case that started it all.
According to Netflix, during their final summer at camp, old friends Shaggy and Daphne get caught up in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely, lost Great Dane puppy who may have been a witness to a supernatural murder. Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie Velma and the strange but ever-so-handsome new kid Freddy, they set out to solve a case that pulls each of them into a creepy nightmare threatening to expose all of their secrets.
It’s a darker, more grounded take on a story most audiences know by heart, and that tension between nostalgia and something genuinely new is exactly what makes it exciting.
The Team Behind It
“Scooby-Doo: Origins” marks a significant milestone as the first live-action television series in the franchise’s history, though fans of a certain generation will remember that the gang has been brought to life on screen before. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. starred together as Daphne and Fred in the 2002 theatrical film “Scooby-Doo” and its 2004 sequel “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,” both of which became beloved staples of early 2000s pop culture. Those films have only grown in nostalgic esteem over the years, making this new series an exciting next chapter for a franchise that has clearly never lost its hold on audiences.
The cast is stacked with rising talent. Fortson is best known for her role in “Ant-Man” and its sequel, as well as the acclaimed HBO Max series “The Pitt.” Hagen also appeared in “The Pitt” and has had roles in “Lawmen: Bass Reeves.” Jenkins, meanwhile, is a familiar face on Netflix — he starred across three seasons of “Lost in Space” and has also appeared in “Reacher” and “Dear Edward.”
Filming runs through September 2026 in Atlanta. No premiere date has been announced yet, but with the first look now out and cameras rolling, more updates won’t be far behind.
