Netflix has added Andre "3000" Benjamin and Cathy Moriarty to the cast of its new live-action series based on the classic Scooby-Doo animation franchise.
Both actors will hold recurring roles in the upcoming production, titled Scooby-Doo: Origins, which is scheduled to premiere on the streaming platform in 2027.
Netflix is currently keeping the specific characters they will play a secret.
Filming for the television series is presently underway in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is a major production hub for the American film and television industry.
The series will feature a young cast playing the iconic teenage mystery solvers. Maxwell Jenkins stars as Fred Jones, the traditional leader of the group, while Tanner Hagen plays Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, the cowardly best friend of the titular dog.
Abby Ryder Fortson has been cast as the highly intelligent Velma Dinkley. Mckenna Grace will play Daphne Blake, completing the core group of human characters.
Supernatural camp mystery
The new show offers a modern reinterpretation of the classic story, which originated in 1969 with the animated Hanna-Barbera television series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The property has since spawned decades of animated spinoffs, merchandise, and previous live-action feature films.
The Scooby-Doo: Origins plot is set during the final summer at a camp, where Shaggy and Daphne discover a lost Great Dane puppy. The dog may have witnessed a supernatural murder, prompting the group to investigate the mystery alongside Velma and Fred.
Paul Walter Hauser is also part of the cast, though his role remains unknown at this stage. Other actors joining the project include Sara Gilbert, Bruce McGill, and Sherilyn Fenn.
Benjamin is best known for his global music career as half of the Atlanta hip hop duo Outkast, and later as a solo artist. Outkast achieved massive commercial and critical success in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Previous acting roles
He also has an extensive acting background. His film credits include the musical Idlewild, the crime comedy Be Cool, the action film Four Brothers, and the biographical picture Jimi: All Is by My Side, where he played guitar legend Jimi Hendrix.
On television, Benjamin has appeared in the police drama The Shield, the anthology series American Crime, and the drama series Dispatches From Elsewhere.
Moriarty brings a long resume in both film and television to the Scooby-Doo series.
She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her breakthrough performance as Vickie LaMotta opposite Robert De Niro in the 1980 boxing film Raging Bull, directed by Martin Scorsese.
Her subsequent film roles include the comedy Kindergarten Cop alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neighbors, the satirical comedy But I'm a Cheerleader, and the independent drama Patti Cake$.
Behind the scenes
Moriarty's most recent television credits include guest appearances on the police procedural Elsbeth, the crime drama Will Trent, and the crime series City on a Hill.
Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg developed the series and serve as its writers and showrunners. Showrunners hold overall creative and management authority for television programs.
Toby Haynes is set to direct the first episode of the new series.
Warner Bros. Television is producing the show. The studio holds the rights to the classic Hanna-Barbera animated library.
The executive production team includes Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Leigh London Redman, André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Adrienne Erickson. Berlanti is one of the most prolific television producers in the American entertainment industry.
