Barely a day after I joked about James Gunn’s historical involvement in the Scooby-Doo movie franchise, I see this story crop up on the writeboard. Divine intervention or random coincidence? Either way, there was no chance I was passing this up.
Gunn’s Twitter Q&As are proving a goldmine for indolent journalists the world over. Early yesterday morning, he was asked by a fan what the plot of Scooby-Doo 3 – which never got made – was going to be. Gunn duly responded, and here’s the previously unknown plot for the Mystery Gang’s never-to-be-seen third big-screen adventure:
The Mystery Ink gang are hired by a town in Scotland who complain they’re being plagued by monsters but we discover throughout the film the monsters are actually the victims & Scooby & Shaggy have to come to terms with their own prejudices & narrow belief systems. (Yes, Really!)
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 1, 2020
There you have it. The film scoop nobody saw coming and nobody asked for, but everyone feels better for knowing. Yes you do. Don’t try and pretend you’re not thrilled by the existence of a Scooby-Doo 3 draft. It makes it real. You can trust this info, too, as for once it comes from the horse’s mouth.
Though he’s since made the jump to blockbuster directing, Gunn began his film career as a screenwriter, and he wrote both Scooby-Doo and its sequel, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Despite performing well at the box office, the latter failed to meet studio expectations, and combined with its sniffy critical reaction, Warner Bros. said no to more spooky Scooby hijinks. Gunn actually revealed a couple of weeks ago that he was set to direct it. But alas, it never came to pass. In this timeline (the darkest one), we’ll have to make do with that ghastly looking Scoob! animation.
So what if it hasn’t come out yet? We all know it’s going to be passable at best, nauseating at worst, and in the middle, instantly forgettable. COVID-19 hasn’t been a universal detriment. Perhaps when it’s all over, Gunn can finally secure the financing to realize his artistic vision for Scooby-Doo 3. Every great dream begins with a dreamer, right?
