At this point it's probably a good idea to assume that every branded franchise is going to be part of a cinematic universe....especially if Warner Bros. is behind it. For a while now we've known about plans for Scooby-Doo to return to the big screen in an animated reboot. Warner Bros. revealed a little bit more about it at CinemaCon, such as the title, S.C.O.O.B., and that it could be part of an interlocking universe with other Hannah-Barbera properties. Could this mean a Wacky Races or Laff-A-Lympics movie someday? My fingers will be crossed from now until the day it's announced.
Claiming the film will be "our first shot at unlocking the whole Hanna-Barbera Universe", the studio announced a fairly ambitious slate of projects cooked up by Warner Animation Group, the braintrust that came up with the idea for The Lego Movie, and look how that turned out. With The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Yogi Bear, and many more part of the Hannah-Barbera umbrella, the crossover potential is limitless. The timing also works as Scooby-Doo is getting a new line of DC Comics. Gotta love that corporate synergy!
The braintrust includes Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Focus), Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors), and Jared Stern. Many of the projects they are part of we've already heard about such as The Lego Batman Movie, Ninjgo, Storks, and The Lego Movie 2. Another is Smallfoot, about a yeti who comes to believe that humans are real.
Hannah-Barbera has always kept its characters tied together in one way or another, so this actually makes a great deal of sense. And if it maybe leads to a Dynomutt/Hong Kong Phooey teamup flick, all the better. S.C.O.O.B. opens September 21st 2018.
