Cancelled Scooby-Doo animated sequel was practically finished, says director

Scoob!
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that it will no longer be releasing Batgirl, starring In The Heights' Leslie Grace. However, the completed superhero movie was not the only film shelved: Scoob! Holiday Haunt has also been scrapped. And it was almost finished, too, according to director Michael Kurinsky.

In an interview just before the cancelation was announced, the filmmaker told JayBee & Millie : "I can't wait for everybody to see it. We're getting very close to wrapping it up. We actually just completed animation on Friday, just this past Friday (July 29). We still have a lot of lighting and things to do on it, so there is still a bit of work left. But we are definitely in the home stretch, and we're very excited to get it finished and to share it with everybody."

"Yes, I am afraid this is true," producer and writer Tony Cervone reiterated in an Instagram post, following Warner Bros. Discovery's shock announcement on Tuesday, August 2. "The movie is practically finished and turned out beautifully. I am beyond heartbroken."

Scoob! Holiday Haunt was set to reunite the pre-teens of Mystery Inc. as they investigate a Christmas-themed resort owned by Fred's favorite Uncle Ned. Shaggy and the gang soon get spooked, though, when they learn that a mean ol' "ghost" has been lurking in the park for more than 40 years. Confirmed voice actors included Frank Welker, Iain Armitage, Ariana Greenblatt, McKenna Grace, Pierce Gagnon, Cristo Fernandez, Micheal McKean, Andre Braugher, Ming-Na Wen, and Mark Hamill.

While Warner Bros. has yet to explicitly comment on Scoob! Holiday Haunt's fate, the studio did mention it during a statement about Batgirl. It reads: "The decision to not release Batgirl reflects our leadership's strategic shift as it relates to the DC universe and HBO Max. Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actor and this decision is not a reflection of her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future." Read our breakdown of the Batgirl scrapping here.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.