The new post-modern take on the Scooby-Doo franchise, Velma, debuted on HBO Max this week. To celebrate the release of the new animated series, HBO Max dropped a new trailer for the upcoming series.
You can check out the new official trailer for the animated comedy series in the player below:
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HBO MAX DELIVERS A NEW TRAILER FOR ANIMATED SERIES VELMA
The new animated re-imagining of the Scooby-Doo franchise is an adult animated comedy and tells the origin story of Velma Dinkley, voiced in the series by Mindy Kaling, who also executive produces the show. While Velma was previously the unsung and supporting character of the Mystery Inc. gang, she’s the central character of this series.
The new original series unmasks the complex and colorful past of the beloved mystery solvers. The show also features new iterations of other staples of the Scooby-Doo mythos, including Shaggy, going by his real name here as Norville Rogers (Sam Richardson), Daphne Blake (Constance Wu), and Fred Jones (Glen Howerton). It looks like a murder has been committed at Velma’s school, as she finds a girl in her locker with her brain torn out, and now it’s up to Velma Dinkley to solve the case.
The new show appears to be very irreverent and wacky, with a lot of topical, modern humor. Also, there’s no Scooby-Doo in sight. This is truly Velma’s show. As she says in the trailer, “This is my story told my way.” In this version, Velma is the one who assembles the Mystery Inc. gang, all of whom have been revamped for the purpose of this show. Norville makes it clear to point out that he hates drugs, so looks like they are riffing on the perception of the gang being stoners.
Also, the trailer even appears to be hinting at a potential romance between Velma and Daphne. Meanwhile, Fred comes off as an even more unlikable, meatheaded jock. The other characters come off as rather incompetent, while Daphne appears to have a better grasp on what’s going on. Also, the great Stephen Root’s voice can be heard in the trailer as well, as he appears to have a role in the show as Sheriff Cogburn.
Actually, the show appears to have a prolific cast up and down. Russell Peters and Melissa Fumero voice Velma’s parents. Jane Lynch and Wanda Sykes voice Daphne’s adopted moms. Frank Welker himself, the longtime voice actor for Fred and Scooby-Doo, voices Fred’s father, William Jones, and Cherry Jones voices Fred’s mom, Victoria. Weird Al Yankovic and Ming-Na Wen even have roles in the show, so it’s a fairly impressive cast.
If Scooby-Doo does appear in the first season at some point, it appears the production is keeping those details quiet for now. It will be interesting to see if the show works in Scooby at some point and revamps that characters as well.
The first two episodes of Velma are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes of the first season will debut weekly on HBO Max on Thursdays. The first season appears to consist of 10 episodes.
What do you think of the trailer? Are you enjoying Velma and its new take on the Scooby-Doo series? Let us know what you think in the comments and on the official Illuminerdi Twitter account.
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SOURCE: HBO Max, YouTube
