Scoob! Holiday Haunt is an unreleased American animated mystery comedy film based on Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo franchise, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group. It was set to be a prequel of Scoob! (2020). The film follows a young Mystery Incorporated investigating a mystery in a holiday-themed resort.
| Scoob! Holiday Haunt | |
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| Directed by |
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| Screenplay by | |
| Based on |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Dara Taylor[1] |
Production company | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film was directed by Michael Kurinsky and Bill Haller from a screenplay by Paul Dini and Tony Cervone, and stars Frank Welker, Iain Armitage, Ariana Greenblatt, Mckenna Grace, Pierce Gagnon, Mark Hamill, Michael McKean, Andre Braugher, Cristo Fernández, Ming-Na Wen and Maya Hawke.
The film was to be released on HBO Max in December 2022. Warner Bros. Discovery shelved the film that August, citing cost-cutting measures and an intent to refocus on theatrical films over projects made for streaming.
Premise
editTo celebrate Scooby-Doo's first Christmas, 10-year-old Shaggy and the gang take him to a holiday-themed resort owned by Fred's favorite Uncle Ned. When the park is beset by a ghostly haunting, the kids must solve a 40-year-old mystery to save the resort and show Scooby the true meaning of Christmas.[2]
Voice cast
edit- Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo[2]
- Iain Armitage as Shaggy Rogers[2]
- Ariana Greenblatt as Velma Dinkley[2]
- Mckenna Grace as Daphne Blake[2]
- Pierce Gagnon as Fred Jones[2]
- Michael McKean as Uncle Ned, Fred's favorite uncle.[2][3][better source needed]
- Andre Braugher as Chef Dave, the resort's head chef who befriends the children.[4]
- Mark Hamill as Santa Claus[5][better source needed]
Additionally, Cristo Fernández, Ming-Na Wen, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, J.B. Smoove, & Patrick Warburton had been cast in undisclosed roles.[2][6][7][better source needed]
Development
editIn June 2021, Tony Cervone said that a follow-up to Scoob! was in development.[8] On December 22, 2021, HBO Max released a sizzle reel featuring a first look at a Christmas-themed prequel film, titled Scoob! Holiday Haunt, which was to be released on the service in December 2022. The film takes place in the gang's youth, with Welker and the actors who portrayed the younger versions reprising their roles while Cervone returned to write the film with Paul Dini as well to produce the project. The film was co-directed by Bill Haller and Michael Kurinsky, and had a production budget of $40 million.[2]
Animation
editLike Scoob!, the animation services were provided by Reel FX Animation.
Cancellation
editOn August 2, 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery canceled its release, citing cost-cutting measures and a refocus on theatrical films rather than creating projects for streaming.[9][10] Tony Cervone would go on to say on the same day that the project was "practically finished".[11] Later that month, it was reported that the film would still be finished, even though Warner Bros. Discovery had no present plans to release it.[12] The film was finally finished on November 4, 2022.[13][better source needed] Following Andre Braugher's death in December 2023, Cervone revealed details on the actor's casting in the film where Braugher joined the project after a ten-minute meeting. He then later accepted the part after mentioning his "soft spot for Scooby-Doo".[4][better source needed]
See also
edit- List of abandoned and unfinished films
- Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme, other 2022 Warner Bros. films left unreleased
References
edit- ^ "Dara Taylor Scoring HBO Max's 'Scoob! Holiday Haunt'". August 7, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Burlingame, Russ (December 22, 2021). "Scoob!: Holiday Haunt First Look Revealed in HBO Max Teaser". ComicBook. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ Tony Cervone (December 23, 2021). "Also starring Michael McKean as Uncle Ned! Full length, full production feature film produced by @wearereelfx for HBO Max". Instagram. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- ^ a b "Instagram".
- ^ "Fun Fact of the Week #501 (featuring John Dusenberry)". ScoobySnax.com. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ "An Interview with John Dusenberry". ScoobySnax.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Wilding, Josh (June 18, 2021). "SCOOB! Director Tony Cervone Confirms A Sequel To The 2020 Movie Is In Development (Exclusive)". Comic Book Movie. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (August 2, 2022). "'Batgirl' and 'Scoob!: Holiday Haunt' Scrapped at Warner Bros. Amid Cost-Savings Push". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Scoob! Sequel Shelved By HBO Max". Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Scoob! Sequel Director Revealed Film Was "Very Close" to Completion Before HBO Max Cancellation". comicbook.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ "Scoob!: Holiday Haunt Could Still Get Finished Despite Being Shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery". comicbook.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
- ^ Tony Cervone (November 5, 2022). "Well, we finished this thing today. A bittersweet conclusion for sure". Instagram. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2023.