Netflix is turning to the mystery gang for its next buzzy teen show. Scooby-Doo! The Live-Action Series is in the works for the streamer at LA’s Berlanti Productions (a WB Television banner). 

The project is still in development, so details are scarce. But Josh Appelbaum (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Scott Rosenberg (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) are attached to pen the script, and Variety has reported that the format will hinge on one-hour episodes.

Scooby-Doo, Hanna-Barbera’s classic cartoon about four sleuthing teens and their dog, is notable for putting a kid-friendly spin on the supernatural mystery genre. And these themes certainly align with current audience trends at Netflix, where Wednesday and Stranger Things are ranked among the most-watched titles on the platform.

Berlanti has a proven knack for turning legacy IPs into compelling live-action TV shows for teens, with Riverdale (The CW) and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix) in a portfolio of work that also includes family feature Pan (2015) and upcoming DC superhero movie Booster Gold.

This new project marks a return to live action for the animation-heavy Scooby-Doo franchise. From its origins as a Saturday morning staple that started airing on CBS in 1969, the brand has expanded over the years to include several spinoff animated TV series and films, half a dozen live shows and 10 comic book series.

Scooby-Doo’s first live-action foray came in 2002 with a same-name movie that grossed US$275 million against an US$84-million budget. The cast returned two years later for a sequel called Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, which comparatively underperformed with a US$181-million box-office take. Mosaic Media Group produced both films, with WB Pictures distributing.

Later live-action projects included a pair of Cartoon Network made-for-TV movies (2009’s Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and 2010’s Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster), as well as a direct-to-video spinoff called Velma and Daphne that rolled out in 2018.