It’s unfortunate for all the Scooby-Doo fans out there. Still, with Freddie Prinze Jr. saying he wouldn’t be interested in doing another live-action film for the franchise, we won’t be getting a third movie, even if it was in development.
Although the two live-action films released in 2002 and 2004 were not critically acclaimed, they were beloved by fans then and still have a cult following today. This is primarily due to the nature of both films feeling sincere in their attempt to adapt the children’s television show while also being able to modernize it. In addition to Prinze Jr., who played Fred – ironically, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, and Linda Cardellini played Daphne, Shaggy, and Velma, respectively. These interpretations were directed by Raja Gosnell and were written by James Gunn, who has become very well-known for his work in recent superhero franchises.
In an interview with TooFab, when asked if he would return for a more “adult” third film for the franchise, Prinze Jr. notes, “It wouldn’t be something I would do. I have zero interest … It wouldn’t be for me, man… There was too much bait and switch on the first one, the studio [Warner Brothers] was not honest with me in any way, shape or form. They were not straight forward in any way, shape or form.”
He then recalls that the first Scooby-Doo film was one of two projects he regrets. In this case, his regret came from feeling lied to, as the original script he received for the film vastly differed from the one he was given when he first arrived in Australia to begin shooting.
Despite this, Prinze Jr. claims that he grew an appreciation for films due to his interactions with children. He went on to express, “I didn’t fully appreciate Scooby until it was seen and children came up to me, like, ‘Oh my gosh!’” He continues:
And when I was able to appreciate the experience through their souls — because that’s what they’re doing, they’re bearing their souls, ‘When I was a kid, I watched this and I made my dad watch it 30 times’ and they’re sharing their life, that’s your soul, right? — then all of a sudden I was like, ‘Hey, man, we did good,’ We did good, there’s legit millions of people that love this movie. It wasn’t the movie I wanted to make, but I appreciate that and it made me change my outlook on it.
Check out the interview below!
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