Grab the flashlights and maybe a few extra Scooby Snacks, because the mystery surrounding Netflix’s upcoming live-action “Scooby-Doo” series is only getting bigger.
The upcoming series, officially titled “Scooby-Doo: Origins,” has added Andre “3000” Benjamin and Cathy Moriarty in recurring roles as production continues in Atlanta ahead of its planned 2027 premiere.
For a franchise that has spent generations sending its heroes into haunted houses, creepy amusement parks and more than a few suspiciously foggy locations, “Scooby-Doo: Origins” is taking things back to the beginning.
The new series will follow younger versions of the Mystery Inc. gang before they become the mystery-solving team fans know and love.
Maxwell Jenkins will star as Fred Jones, with Tanner Hagen as Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, Abby Ryder Fortson as Velma Dinkley and Mckenna Grace as Daphne Blake.
Paul Walter Hauser is also set to appear in the series, while additional cast members include Sara Gilbert, Bruce McGill and Sherilyn Fenn. Exact details surrounding many of their characters, including those being played by Benjamin and Moriarty, are currently being kept under wraps.
That air of mystery feels rather appropriate.
According to the official logline, the story begins during Shaggy and Daphne’s final summer at camp when the two old friends become caught up in a haunting mystery surrounding a lost Great Dane puppy.
Yes, that Great Dane.
The puppy may have witnessed a supernatural murder, pulling Shaggy and Daphne into a mystery much larger than either expected. They soon join forces with the practical and science-minded Velma and the strange, yet apparently very handsome, newcomer Freddy.
Together, the group begins investigating a case that threatens to uncover secrets belonging to each of them while dragging the future Mystery Inc. gang deeper into an increasingly creepy nightmare.
Rather than simply recreating the familiar adventures fans have watched for decades, “Scooby-Doo: Origins” appears to be building a story around how these characters first came together — and, perhaps most importantly, how one very famous Great Dane found his people.
Andre 3000 joins the project following an extensive career that stretches well beyond his music with Outkast. His acting credits include “Idlewild,” “Be Cool,” “Four Brothers,” “Jimi: All Is By My Side,” “The Shield,” “American Crime” and “Dispatches From Elsewhere.”
Moriarty brings an equally extensive career to the series. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Vickie LaMotta in Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” and has appeared in projects including “Kindergarten Cop,” “Neighbors,” “But I’m a Cheerleader,” “Elsbeth,” “Will Trent” and “City on a Hill.”
Behind the scenes, Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg serve as writers and showrunners. The pair will executive produce alongside André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner and Adrienne Erickson under Midnight Radio.
Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman will also executive produce through Berlanti Productions, while Toby Haynes will direct and executive produce the first episode.
Warner Bros. Television is producing the series.
“Scooby-Doo” has gone through countless versions over the decades, moving between traditional animation, feature films, direct-to-video adventures and multiple reinterpretations of the classic characters.
Yet there is something particularly fitting about returning to one mystery fans have never really gotten to fully explore.
How did four very different kids — and one endlessly hungry dog — actually become Mystery Inc.?
We will apparently start getting those answers when “Scooby-Doo: Origins” arrives on Netflix in 2027.