Scooby-Doo's Graphic Velma Spinoff Revives James Gunn's Lost Vision
Velma, the graphic, adult-animation show based on Scooby-Doo, recalls James Gunn’s lost vision for an R-rated take on the franchise. Produced by and starring the voice of Minda Kaling and set to debut on HBO Max, Velma will be the next TV series iteration in a long history of Scooby-Doo cartoons. But unlike the others, this spinoff is geared toward mature audiences and will likely receive a TV-MA rating. As such, Velma appears to be finally realizing James Gunn's idea for a version of Scooby-Doo for grown-ups.
James Gunn, who is now known for the comic book movie blockbusters Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, hails from a B-movie background, having started his career at Troma Entertainment, a low-budget studio focused on gore and grossness in the horror-comedy genre. Eventually, the filmmaker reached greater heights as a screenwriter at Warner Bros., but he always retained that interest in crude material. He wrote the studio's 2002 Scooby-Doo movie, which was initially intended to be darker and more adult in its content. But the live-action adaptation was ultimately altered to meet a PG rating, sacrificing much of the overt body horror elements that Gunn is known for, plus all references to sex and drugs.
Related: Scooby Doo's R-Rated Cut: 8 Details & Deleted Scenes Revealed
Now, Kaling's Velma show (which will not feature Scooby-Doo) has the opportunity to carry forth that sort of racy material Gunn was going for with the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie. Although Gunn is not involved with Velma, and there is no connection to his movie scripts, his ideas from 20 years ago are definitely felt in the adult animation series' potential for a bloodier and raunchier take on the Scooby-Doo property. This
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