Velma: Who is in the HBO Max series?
SCOOBY-DOO first debuted on screens in 1969 and has become a staple of the cartoon industry.
Alongside Velma, Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy - "the gang" -would solve mysteries in their green van, the Mystery Machine.
Velma: Who is in the HBO Max series?
In February 2021, HBO Max announced plans for an adult-humored version of Scooby-Doo.
The spinoff series focuses on the group's brainiac Velma.
Velma takes place as a prequel to Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
The beloved dog doesn't appear in this version at all.
The cast of the upcoming animated series includes:
Velma - Mindy Kaling
American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director Mindy Kaling will be the voice of Velma.
She is famously known for her portrayal of Kelly Kapoor in the NBC sitcom The Office but has also been seen in A Wrinkle in Time, Ocean's Eight, Locked Down, and Late Night.
Kaling has also lent her voice to several productions including Inside Out, Wreck-It Ralph, and Monsters at Work.
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Fred - Glenn Howerton
Fred will be played by Glenn Howerton, best known for his long-running comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in which he plays Dennis Reynolds.
He also serves as an executive producer and helped to create the show.
He hosts a podcast with fellow executive producers and co-creators of the show called The Always Sunny Podcast.
He has been linked to Mindy Kaling's acting before when he was cast in a reoccurring role on The Mindy Project.
Daphne - Constance Wu
Constance Wu will play Daphne in the HBO Max series.
Wu's breakthrough role in acting was on the ABC comedy Fresh Off the Boat.
She played Jessica Huang on the show.
Wu then played the female lead in the romantic-comedy Crazy Rich Asians, the first film since The Joy Luck Club in 1993 to feature an all-Asian cast.
She is also slated to reprise her role as Crazy Rich Asian's Rachel Chu in the upcoming sequels to the comedy.
Shaggy - Sam Richardson
Sam Richardson rounds out the cast as Shaggy, who, in the original Scooby-Doo, was the loveable hippy who is not always the brightest
We are interested to see what Richardson, who is best known for his work as Richard Splett on HBO's original comedy series Veep, will bring to the character.
Richardson also co-starred in Detroiters with Tim Robinson.
The duo has since gone on to create and co-star in the sketch-style comedy show on Netflix called I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.
When does Velma premiere?
Velma will be released on January 12, 2023.
Along with Velma, HBO Max also announced the new animated series Fired on Mars, which stars Pete Davidson, and a reboot of the early 2000s hit Clone High.
“It is a tremendous privilege to build on the 100 year plus legacy of ‘cartoons’ at this company,” said Suzanna Makkos, executive vice president of original comedy and adult animation for HBO Max, via .
“We can draw a straight line from our hundreds of childhood hours spent watching Bugs outwit Elmer to the current slate of adult animated projects we are building here at HBO Max and we think fans will agree. We are proud to introduce this distinctive group of series from a wide range of diverse creators that will form a first stop destination for animation lovers everywhere.”
What has Mindy Kaling said about Velma?
Along with making Velma for adults, the network also made her South Asian which sparked backlash amongst Scooby-Doo fans.
Despite the negative feedback, Kaling has continued to stand by her character and told the crowd during the Warner Bros Discovery Upfront presentation in May 2022 that if a dog can solve crimes, then Velma “can be brown.”
“Hopefully you noticed my Velma is South Asian,” she said, via . “If people freak out about that, I don’t care.”
She previously addressed the backlash during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers in July 2021 and revealed that it encouraged her to “be careful” when taking on the role.
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At the time, she said: “When it was announced that I was going to do the voice of Velma, people were very supportive and happy on Twitter. And so I felt great.
“Then it was announced a month ago that the Velma character would be reimagined as South Asian. And people were not happy. There was a lot of, like, ‘So not Velma!’ Those kind of tweets. ‘Not the classic Velma that I’m always thinking about.'”