Mindy Kaling's 'Velma' finalizes cast; here's every update
What's the story
A set of star-studded cast members will be rendering their voices to HBO Max's animated series Velma centered around the Scooby-Doo character. Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, and Constance Wu will star along with Mindy Kaling in the adult animated series. The series will revolve around Velma Dinky, with Kaling rendering her voice to the central character. Read on to know every update.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Scooby-Doo, created by Hanna-Barbera Productions, debuted in 1969 as a Saturday morning cartoon. It was then reinvented and improvised in television shows, films, and comics. The show in general follows a group of teens consisting of Velma, Daphne Blake, Fred Jones, and Norville "Shaggy" Rogers, along with their mischievous Great Dane, Scooby-Doo. The show has a huge fanbase across the world.
Characters
Roles to be voiced by the lead actors
Howerton, known for his role in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will play Fred in the upcoming series. Veep and The Afterparty actor Richardson will voice Shaggy, while Wu famous for Lyle Lyle Crocodile and Crazy Rich Asians will render Daphne's voice. All four lead actors appeared during the New York Comic Con on Thursday as the team announced their onboarding in the series.
Twitter Post
Mature take on Scooby Gang will stream soon
HBO Max's new animated series #Velma will feature the voices of Mindy Kaling as Velma, Glenn Howerton as Fred , Constance Wu as Daphne and Sam Richardson as Norville aka Shaggy. pic.twitter.com/JkFaeUtaHf
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) October 6, 2022
Update
Meanwhile, new 'Scooby-Doo' movie introduced Velma as lesbian woman
Velma from the series was earlier introduced as a brown-skinned woman from South Asia. The "brain" of the group always appears in an orange turtleneck and red skirt. Meanwhile, the makers of a new Scooby-Doo movie, Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, have put an end to decades of fan speculation by confirming that Velma is canonically lesbian. This move was received well by the fans.
Tribute
Even Google paid tribute to Velma's sexuality reveal
A teaser of the movie released on Wednesday showed Velma's encounter with her crush, Coco Diablo, who's also the villain. Google paid tribute to Velma's coming out as a lesbian and the makers' announcement. The search engine plays confetti animations on the screen along with the lesbian and Pride flag whenever users enter search terms like "Velma Dinkley," "Velma Scooby-Doo," "Velma," or "Dinkley."