Scooby-Doo writer James Gunn would’ve gotten away with making Velma Dinkley “explicitly gay” in the live-action films – if it weren’t for those meddling studio executives.
When the beloved cartoon hit the big screen in the early 2000s, James initially intended to make a more mature film, geared toward adults who’d grown up with Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby, with the gang played by, respectively, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini, Matthew Lillard and Neil Fanning.
Part of his vision, he has revealed, was to make Velma gay in his films ― the LGBTQ community has long claimed the bespectacled detective as one of their own ― until Warner Bros intervened, that is.Responding to a fan on
Twitter who called for James to make their “live-action lesbian Velma dreams come true,” the Guardians Of The Galaxy director revealed that had actually been his plan all along.
“I tried! In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script,” he replied on Sunday night.
“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).”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, 2020In the critically-panned 2004 follow-up, Monsters Unleashed, Velma falls for museum creator Patrick, prompting her to undergo a Daphne-assisted makeover, which sees sees the character ditching her signature turtleneck for an orange-leather catsuit.
In a separate tweet, James added that deleted scenes from the first film hint at what he was trying to accomplish with Velma’s character in the original script before the studio stepped in.
On the 15th anniversary of the first film back in 2017, James detailed how Warner Bros turned his screenplay into a “clean-cut children’s film”.
“I had loved the character of Scooby-Doo since I was a kid and was excited at the prospect of making a live action film with 2002′s cutting CGI technology,” the 53-year-old wrote in a lengthy Facebook post.
“Yes, it was not exactly what we planned going out ― I had written an edgier film geared toward older kids and adults, and the studio ended pushing it into a clean-cut children’s film. And, yes, the rumours are true ― the first cut was rated R by the MPAA, and the female stars’ cleavage was CGI’d away so as not to offend.”
And while a third film in the franchise was cancelled after the sequel underperformed, that hasn’t stopped James from cooking up some ideas for future adventures.
Earlier this year, James revealed he would’ve taken the Mystery Inc. sleuths on a wild ride in the third film that would’ve forced the gang to come to terms “with their own prejudices & narrow belief systems.”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