Before his success with Marvel, James Gunn served as the screenwriter on the live-action Scooby-Doo movies. In a recent post on Twitter, Gunn revealed that he wanted Scooby-Doo’s Velma Dinkley to be lesbian in the 2002 movie but Warner Bros decided against it in the end.
His revelation came during an exchange with a fan on the popular social media site which said…
“Please make our live-action lesbian Velma dreams come true.”
James Gunn then, quoted the tweet adding…
“I tried! In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down and watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) and finally having a boyfriend (the sequel).”
And in true Twitter fashion, the hashtag #ReleaseTheGunnCut was promptly created.
I tried! In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel). 😐 https://t.co/Pxho6Ju1oQ
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 13, 2020
This isn’t the first time Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker discussed his hopes for Scooby and the gang. Back in April Gunn shared a few concepts that he came up with for potential third Scooby-Doo movie, saying…
“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 and Scooby and Shaggy have to come to terms with their own prejudices and narrow belief systems. (Yes, Really!).”
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
The 2002 and 2004 live-action Scooby-Doo movies starred ’90s teen icons, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr, alongside Linda Cardellini and Matthew Lillard. The movies brought the classic cartoons about a group of teenage detectives and their Great Dane to a whole new audience and quickly became cult favourites.
