Featured Image Credit: HBO Max / AJ Pics / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: Film and TV, HBO
Callum Jones
Many fans of Scooby-Doo are outraged that the new series in the universe will not feature Scooby-Doo himself.
Velma is set to release on HBO Max in 2023, but has faced heavy backlash since details on its casting were revealed.
Scooby-Doo does not feature at all in the series and Shaggy will be referred to his real name, Norville Rogers.
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The new series will see a change in the portrayal of Shaggy as a Black male, and the character will be voiced by Emmy nominee Sam Richardson, while the character will be named Norville.
Many have praised its makers for introducing diversity into the classic characters, but others are not happy that Scooby is not included at all.
This was echoed by TikTok creator Brittany Venti who shared her thoughts on the Velma series on her channel.
She said: "No one has a problem with there being Black characters, it's a problem when you take original characters, and you completely change them.
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"This isn't even Scooby-Doo anymore, it doesn't even include Scooby-Doo.
"It's not only they are taking something as we know it and completely changing it and gutting it of what we know it as.
"Another point of contention I have not seen discussed yet, why do we feel it is appropriate to take a children's TV show and politicise it.
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"You are taking the focus away from the show and bringing the focus to race and politicising a children's show."
Despite Venti's views, Mindy Kaling, the actor who plays Velma in the series, is unbothered by the show's negative reaction.
Speaking at Velma's New York Comic-Con panel, she said: "I think of the characters in this as so iconic, but in no way is the gang defined by their whiteness, except for Fred.
"So, I was a little bit surprised, and I think most Indian-American girls when they see this skeptical, hardworking, kind of under-appreciated character, can identify with her."
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At the same panel, Velma's showrunner Charlie Grandy discussed the decision to omit Scooby-Doo from the show.
He said: "When we were going into the show and thinking about adapting it, we wanted to be respectful.
"We didn’t want to just kind of take these beloved characters and put them in outrageous or gross situations and say, ‘Isn’t it crazy you did that to Velma?'
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"We couldn’t get a take on it that was like, ‘How do we kind of do this in a fun, modern way?'
"That felt like what made it a kid show was, Scooby-Doo."