The early 2000s were the breeding ground for so many iconic pieces of pop culture, and the Scooby-Doo live-action films are no exception. The heroic group of crime fighters have stood the test of time for several decades now, each generation having their own taste of the Scooby snacks. Given the direction that media is heading in regards to streaming, sometimes things get lost in the shuffle. The cult classic Warner Bros. films Scooby-Doo and 2004’s follow-up Monsters Unleashed are two that have slipped through the cracks.
Thankfully, YouTube is saving the day by providing the films free of charge to stream but there’s a catch — it’s only free with ads. The Scooby-Doo live-action franchise stars Freddie Prinze Jr. as the ascot wearing bleach blonde Fred Jones; Sarah Michelle Gellar as fashion icon Daphne Blake; Matthew Lillard as happy-go-lucky stoner Shaggy; and Linda Cardellini as the brains of the operation, Velma Dinkley.
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The first film grossed nearly $250 million dollars worldwide on an $84 million dollar budget. After the mega success of that release, the cast (sans Prinze Jr.) requested a raise when returning for the subsequent film. Prinze Jr. told Esquire that he was furious when asked to take a pay cut in order for their salaries to be raised.
“I remember thinking, ‘Hold up, who’s giving them the raise? Me or y’all?’ Like we made you guys three-quarters of a billion dollars, you can’t afford to pay them what I’m making on this? Screw that,” Prinze Jr. said. The sequel, which sent the crew to Spooky Island, only earned $180 million dollars and was considered a box office failure by critics.
Earlier this year director of the franchise James Gunn shared insight into whether or not a threequel was ever supposed to be made. According to Gunn, there were plans in his contract, but they opted to part ways after the reception to Monsters Unleashed. “I had a deal to write and direct the third film but, although the second one was profitable, it wasn’t profitable to warrant a third feature,” Gunn said in response to a fan’s inquiry on Threads. “So I went and did Slither instead.”
Back in 2020 Gunn revealed that if the film had been made, the Mystery Inc. would’ve headed to Scotland. They were hired by a town in the country that complained about monsters plaguing them. As it turns out, the monsters were the actual victims. Gunn wrote, “Scooby and Shaggy have to come to terms with their own prejudices and narrow belief systems. (Yes, really!)”
