Summary
-
SNL
ended Season 49 with a darkly comical Scooby-Doo twist featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Sabrina Carpenter as Fred and Daphne. - The sketch acted as a parody, with Gyllenhaal’s Fred going into a violent frenzy to unmask the real villain in a bloody and gory twist.
- Netflix is developing a new live-action Scooby-Doo series with the
Arrowverse
creator, introducing a slightly darker tone for fans.
Saturday Night Live wrapped up Season 49 with a finale featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Sabrina Carpenter as Fred and Daphne, respectively, in a darkly comical twist on Scooby-Doo. There has been plenty of bloody Scooby-Doo related mayhem taking place recently in the animated Max series Velma – but for many the less said about that the better. SNL’s take on the long-running spooky cartoon franchise was certainly received better than Mindy Kaling’s comedy series, and also is a timely reminder that a new live-action Scooby-Doo series is currently in development at Netflix.
Ahead of Season 50, many people believed that the finale of SNL’s current season could be a quiet affair, but that all went out of the window in one of the first sketches. Guest host Gyllenhaal, who has recently signed on to appear in a sequel to Prime Video’s Road House reboot, donned a blond wig and the blue-collared white jumper of Fred to embark on unraveling a mystery in a haunted house in the skit entitled “Scooby-Doo and the Mystery of the Shadow Phantom.”
The sketch also included Silver Sherman as Velma, and Mikey Day as Shaggy, as well as an animated Scooby-Doo, who ends up solving the mystery and uncovering the “Phantom” in the form of James Austin Johnson as Old Man Franklin. While this is where the usual Scooby-Doo mystery would end, this is an SNL parody, so that doesn’t happen. Instead, Gyllenhaal’s Fred isn’t convinced that Old Man Franklin is the end of the mask-wearing trickery on display and goes on a frenzied attempt to “unmask” the real villain. This results in Fred literally ripping off the skin from Old Man Franklin’s face to leave behind a bloody skull.
While more blood and gore ensues as the cast are knocked off one by one, the whole skit turns out to be a fake advertisement for Apple Face ID’s security features, which ensure that you will “Never get ripped off again.” Watch the entire skit below.
Scooby-Doo is Getting a New Live-Action Series on Netflix
While live-action adaptations of the Scooby-Doo franchise have been a mixed bag, Netflix is about to become the latest to attempt to bring the Great Dane and Mystery Inc. to life on screen with a brand-new series. Announced last month, Scooby-Doo: The Live-Action Series is being produced by the Arrowverse creator Greg Berlanti, and will be written by Cowboy Bebop’s Josh Applebaum and Scott Rosenberg.
Casting and story for the new series is yet to be revealed, but following the online backlash against Max series Velma, the show will be looking to bring a more appreciated Scooby-Doo venture to Netflix. The series is expected to stick a little closer to the format and characters that have been the staple of the Scooby-Doo franchise for decades, while also bringing a slightly darker tone, with many citing Riverdale as a potential inspiration for the new series.
Scooby-Doo: Why Fans Think Fred Is Gay
Fred is one of the most popular characters in this animated franchise. Here’s why Scooby-Doo fans think he may be gay.
More news on the new series is expected to come in time, but for now, the SNL Scooby-Doo skit provides an unexpected return of Mystery Inc. Although the series will probably not be going down this route, whatever form it does take, it will bring another version of Scoob and the gang to screens to hopefully please long-term and new fans of the franchise.
