The Scooby gang, or at least some of the Scooby gang, are getting back into action next year. Warner Bros. has announced that a live-action Scooby-Doo spin-off is set to be released in 2018. Daphne and Velma will serve as an origin story for the two female members of Scooby-Doo, with Warner Bros.' digital content studio Blue Ribbon teaming with Blonde Girl Productions for the movie. Ashley Tisdale and Jennifer Tisdale, who head up Blonde Girl Productions, had this to say in a statement about Daphne and Velma.
"Blondie Girl is committed to telling stories from a female perspective, and we could not be more thrilled to give Daphne and Velma their own story. It's so exciting to partner with Warner Home Entertainment and Blue Ribbon Content to introduce a new generation to the smart, charismatic, fearless females that we all know and love."
Daphne and Velma takes place before their eventual team-up with Scooby and the gang. Bright and optimistic Daphne and whip-smart and analytical Velma are both mystery-solving teens who are best friends but have only met online, until now. Daphne has just transferred to Velma's school, Ridge Valley High, a tech-savvy institute with all the latest gadgets provided by the school's benefactor, tech billionaire Tobias Bloom. And while competition is fierce among the students for a coveted internship at Bloom Innovative, Daphne and Velma dig beyond all the gadgets and tech to investigate what is causing some of the brightest students in school to disappear, only to emerge again in a zombie-fied state.
Based on the synopsis, it doesn't sound like Scooby-Doo is actually going to appear in the movie, but he could (and likely will) at least make a cameo. Sarah Jeffrey (Shades of Blue) has been tapped to play a Daphne Blake and Sarah Gilman (Last Man Standing) is set to portray Velma Dinkley. Previously, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Linda Cardellini portrayed the parts of Daphne and Velma, respectively, in 2002's live-action Scooby-Doo and the sequel, Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed. Peter Girardi, EVP of Blue Ribbon Content & EVP Alternative Programming at Warner Bros. Animation, had this to say about the upcoming movie.
"We wanted to give the audience a new take on these two familiar faces, who are fan favorites in the Scooby-Doo universe. Daphne and Velma are two iconic and strong female characters, and this latest adventure of theirs will be both inspiring and entertaining for the audience."
Daphne and Velma is being released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, and will make its debut on VOD, Blu-ray and DVD. There doesn't appear to be a theatrical release planned, but that could change. Suzi Yoonessi (Dear Lemon Lima) has been tapped to direct Daphne and Velma, with Ashley Tisdale, Jennifer Tisdale, Amy Kim and Jaime Burke on board to produce. Kyle Mack & Caitlin Meares penned the screenplay. The Deadline report doesn't make not of a specific release date for the spin-off, but it's expected to arrive sometime in 2018. We'll be sure to keep you up to date as more details on the project are made available.