The former live-action Shaggy shares his two cents.

Matthew Lillard reacts to Netflix’s live-action Scooby-Doo reboot: ‘The show needs to come back’ (exclusive)

The former live-action Shaggy shares his two cents.

By Nick Romano

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in *Vanity Fair*, Vulture, IGN, and more.

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January 31, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

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Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and Scooby-Doo in 2002's 'Scooby-Doo'. Credit:

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

The previous live-action Shaggy has weighed in on the upcoming TV reboot.

During a lengthy conversation with ** about *Scream 7*, his company's new Ghost Face Vodka, and his career renaissance in the horror space, Matthew Lillard shared his two cents about Netflix's plans to bring a new live-action TV show to life.

"My general thought is that I'm really happy for them. I think that the show needs to come back," Lillard begins. "We haven't done an animated series now in years, which I think is horrible. I think that it's a great way for kids to understand storytelling. It's the first introduction to ghost stories for a lot of kids, right? It's about friendship and sticking together as a gang and working together to solve mysteries — and that normally it's a dangerous white man behind a mask. These are the things that kids have to learn."

Following a successful *Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!* cartoon from Hanna-Barbera that aired for years, beginning in 1969, Lillard starred as Shaggy in the first live-action incarnation of the popular mystery-solving "meddling kids." He appeared opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, and Linda Cardellini as Velma in 2002's *Scooby-Doo*, while Neil Fanning voiced Shaggy's talking dog, the titular Great Dane. All were members of Mystery, Inc., a group of teen sleuths solving crimes and debunking paranormal incidents.

Matthew Lillard in 'Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

The film was followed by a sequel, 2004's *Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed*, both directed by Raja Gosnell.

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"I think that having it back is good," Lillard continues in regards to the Netflix project. "My hope is that they hold onto what's tried and true and take their hack at it. But the reality is that I'm sort of a purist when it comes to that franchise. The core of it is really about friendship. It's really lovely, and I hope that they hold onto that."

Back in March, Netflix announced a new modern-day reimagining of *Scooby* from showrunners and writers Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg. Greg Berlanti and his Berlanti Productions company are also on board to make the show a reality.

The 'Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!' cartoon.

Hanna-Barbera/Everett Collection

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The plot involves a new origin story for the group during their final summer at camp. "Old friends Shaggy and Daphne get embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder," the Netflix summary reads. "Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma, and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy, they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets."

Casting and a premiere date for the series have not been announced.

Lillard reveals he recently spoke about *Scooby* with director James Gunn, who wrote the two *Scooby-Doo *movies. The filmmaker reached out in light of disparaging comments made about the actor by Quentin Tarantino on a podcast, and the pair got to talking.

"My theory really is the fact that DVDs went out of favor right around that time [of the first movie]," Lillard says. "I just think that DVD got stuck in the back of people's SUVs, and parents liked it and kids liked it. First movie did great, second movie did OK, but the longer it was stuck around in the DVD player, the more people watched it, the more people loved it. It became people's comfort movies for generations."

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