Netflix has reportedly picked Maxwell Jenkins to play Fred Jones, Tanner Hagen as Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, and Abby Ryder Fortson as Velma Dinkley for its live-action Scooby-Doo show.
Information about the latest Mystery Inc. casting comes from Variety. While it’s unclear how the series will handle its titular mutt, the actor update rounds out the human members of the original gang after Mckenna Grace (Scream 7, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2) was tapped to play Daphne Blake in February.
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Each new member of the mystery-solving group brings a background in film and TV to the new Scooby-Doo show. Jenkins has appeared in shows like Reacher and Lost in Space, as well as movies like This Too Shall Pass and Joe Bell. Hagen, meanwhile, has spent time on The Pitt, while also showing up for projects like Be Careful What You Say, Most Likely, and Very Prosperous Men. Fortson also spent some time on The Pitt, but is probably best known for her roles in 2023’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Each star is set to play characters who have existed since the original Hanna-Barbera animated show, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, premiered in 1969. They no doubt have big shoes to fill, but it’s Hagen’s performance as Shaggy that viewers may be most looking forward to. Many associate the live-action version of the snack-eating investigator with Matthew Lillard’s portrayal from the 2000s Scooby-Doo movies. So much so that, when rumors of Netflix’s plans began to swirl in 2024, fans quickly took to social media to call for his return.
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“During their final summer at camp, old friends Shaggy and Daphne get embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder,” an official description for the show says. “Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma, and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy, they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets.”
Netflix announced its live-action Scooby-Doo show would run for eight episodes in March 2025. Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg will serve as its showrunners. No release date has been announced. For more, you can see everything that has and will come to Netflix in March 2026.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
