Scooby-Doo is a character who’s enjoyed plenty of incarnations throughout the years, placing the talking pooch and his crime-solving companions alongside pop culture pillars like Spider-Man or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In addition to the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? animated series, there’s also more modern shows like Velma and the live-action Scooby-Doo films written by James Gunn, and most recently, the latest Scooby-Doo movie, Scoob! is currently topping the streaming charts at Max. Scoob! took a unique approach to the typical Scooby-Doo story, showcasing how Scooby (Frank Welker) met his owner/best friend Shaggy (Will Forte). But it also featured appearances from other Hanna-Barbera icons like the Blue Falcon and Dick Dastardly from Wacky Races, leading to a shared universe of sorts. Scoob!, like most films, had to pivot when the COVID-19 pandemic led to theaters being shuttered, yet its transition to VOD was a smash success. As a result, a prequel/sequel, Scoob! Holiday Haunt, went into development but was sadly shelved….and from the sound of things, it deserved a far better fate.
What Was ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ About?
As its name suggests, Scoob! Holiday Haunt would have taken place during the holidays, specifically when Scooby, Shaggy, and the rest of their gang were kids. When Fred’s uncle invites the Scooby Gang to a holiday-themed resort he owns, things go south when a mysterious wraith starts haunting the park and affects Scooby’s faith in Christmas. Scoob! Holiday Haunt also boasted a great cast: Michael McKean would have played Fred’s Uncle Ned, the late, great Andre Braugher took on the role of the park’s security chief due to “having a soft spot for Scooby-Doo” and Mark Hamill would have played Santa Claus. Yes, the man behind Luke Skywalker and the Joker was set to play Santa Claus! Add in performances from Maya Hawke and Ming Na-Wen, and that’s a truly stacked cast. The people behind the scenes were also pretty talented; while he wasn’t directing Scoob! Holiday Haunt, original Scoob! director Tony Cervone was a producer and a co-writer on the film. His other co-writer was Paul Dini, who is a legend in the world of animation. In addition to writing for animated classics like Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited, Dini also co-created Harley Quinn — meaning that Scoob! Holiday Haunt was in good hands. Sadly, it would never come to HBO Max.
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‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ Was Shelved Alongside ‘Batgirl,’ Even Though It Was Nearly Finished
In 2022, Warner Bros. announced that it was shelving Scoob! Holiday Haunt and Batgirl for tax write-offs, and the desire to pursue theatrical films instead of streaming. The response was fast, and furious. “Yes, I’m co-writer, but also, why cancel a 95% finished holiday movie this close to Fall, when you’re guaranteed kids watching it from right after Halloween until at least New Years?” Dini said, also revealing that an advance screening drew positive reactions from an audience full of younger viewers. But despite its cancellation, Scoob! Holiday Haunt continued ahead with its production, with Tony Cervone writing a heartfelt message to the cast and crew when the film was completed. Co-director Michael Kurinsky later unpacked just how intense that production was in an interview with Variety:
“We had two years from start to finish…And when I say that I don’t mean we had a finished script and then we were gonna start production in those two years. No, we started from a, like, two-page outline. And we said, ‘You have two years to make this movie. And it needs to be done by this date. Go.’ And we got it done by said day.”
Kurinsky also said that he didn’t feel like Scoob! Holiday Haunt would see the light of day, but there has been a call for the film to be released. Ming-Na Wen recently expressed her desire to see the finished film when talking to ComicBook.com about the animation documentary Pencils VS Pixels. “Never say never,” she said. The fact that Coyote Vs. Acme is slated to have a theatrical release next year, when it was inches away from being locked in the Warner Bros. vault, offers a spark of hope that maybe one day Scoob! Holiday Haunt could see the light of day. But right now, it’s only a spark.
Scoob! is available to stream on Max.
