An animated "Scooby-Doo" film is being developed by Warner Bros.
Tony Cervone, an Emmy-nominated animation veteran, who already has Scooby experience having directed several straight-to-own movies in the lucrative franchise, is helming the feature, said The Hollywood Reporter.
Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, who previously produced the studio's live-action Scooby movies, "Scooby-Doo" (2002) and 2004's "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed", are producing along with Allison Abbate.
Abbate, wife of Cervone, brings a lot of animation expertise to the table, with credits including "The Iron Giant", "The Fantastic Mr Fox" and the Tim Burton movies "Corpse Bride" and "Frankenweenie".
Dan Povenmire, the co-creator of the cartoon Phineas and Ferb, is also involved in a creative capacity and will exec produce. Matt Lieberman wrote the script.
Warners, which will release the movie under its Warner Animation Group banner, is hoping the movie leads to a series of movies featuring characters from the stable of Hanna-Barbera animated cartoon series of the same name that ruled TV in the 1960s and early 1970s.
"Like countless fans, I have always loved the Hanna-Barbera cast of characters. As one of their most famous brand ambassadors, Scooby-Doo will take the lead in re-introducing this pantheon of enduringly popular animated stars on a grand scale with an exciting new movie," said Greg Silverman, president of creative development and worldwide production, Warner Bros.
The film is slated for September 21, 2018.
