Warner Bros. is shelving Scoob: Holiday Haunt, and writer Paul Dini had something to say about itThe Scooby-Doo animated feature was set to release on HBO Max in December 2022, but Warner Bros. Discovery has announced Scoob 2 will be canceled alongside the upcoming Batgirl movie, despite both projects being near completion. The decision comes alongside a studio-wide mandate to put resources into "features at a blockbuster scale," leading to projects initially created for streaming on HBO Max getting canceled. And it's not just in-development movies, as Warner Bros. Discovery removed multiple original movies from HBO Max without warning.
Dini is known for his work in both comics and animation, having headed Batman: The Animated Series, as well as numerous other Warner Bros. projects over the years. He explained that the film was "95% completed," did well in test screenings amongst parents and children, and was noteworthy as a holiday movie that could be enjoyed this upcoming holiday season and for years afterward. Many fans expressed sympathy for Dini and the rest of the crew producing Holiday Haunt in replies to his tweet.
Dini had co-written the film alongside its director Tony Cervone, who helmed the original Scoob! in 2020. Releasing at the height of the pandemic during many theater shutdowns, Warner Bros. opted for a limited theatrical release alongside the film going directly to HBO Max despite originally being intended for theatres. Scoob! aimed to implement a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe by incorporating characters from other classic cartoons from Hanna-Barbera's extensive catalog.
The main cast of Scoob! were expected to return for the sequel as younger versions of Mystery Inc., but it was unclear whether the first film's supporting cast of Hanna Barbera alumni would return. Scoob! starred the voices of Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo, Zac Efron as Fred Jones, Gina Rodriguez as Velma Dinkley, Will Forte as Shaggy, Amanda Seyfried as Daphne Blake, Tracy Morgan as Captain Caveman, Ken Jeong as Dynomutt, Kiersey Clemons as Dee Dee Sykes, Mark Wahlberg as Brian and Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly. It was not well received on release, earning a score of 49% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it ended up topping streaming charts with home audiences stuck at home during the height of pandemic restrictions.
Scoob! is now streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Twitter