HBO Max is taking their Scooby-Doo property and giving it a fun spoof angle. The new spin-off, Velma, is an adult-oriented, meta, animated series that will be poking fun at the traditional conventions of horror movies and the favorite familial cartoon. The new trailer has just dropped via YouTube and showcases Velma Dinkley, voiced here by The Office and The Mindy Project’s Mindy Kaling, giving the HBO Max company itself some hate mail as the unsuspecting sleuth receives a call from a mysterious figure who threatens her.
Official synopsis:
“Velma is an adult animated comedy series telling the origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and underappreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang,” an official synopsis for HBO Max’s Velma reads. “An original and humorous spin that unmasks the complex and colorful past of one of America’s most beloved mystery solvers, executive producer Mindy Kaling will voice the titular character. Charlie Grandy, Howard Klein, and Sam Register also serve as executive producers. Velma is produced by Warner Bros. Animation.”
Joining Kaling for the Mystery Machine’s twisted ride will be It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton as Fred, Lyle Lyle Crocodile’s Constance Wu as Daphne, and Veep’s Sam Richardson as Shaggy. Voice-over legend Frank Welker is also set to lend his voice, and although it hasn’t been announced who he’ll be playing, Welker was the legendary voice of Scooby-Doo in the original cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where are you!, as well as the original voice of Fred.
It should be noted again that this interpretation of the property is not intended for children, for even though it will be humorous, the show will sport some very graphic elements. Kaling herself showcased images from the show featuring nude characters standing over the dead body of a girl whose head had been hollowed out.
Velma is set for release in 2023.