James Gunn Says His R-Rated SCOOBY-DOO Script Was Forced into a Family Film
James Gunn is opening up again about what really happened behind the scenes of his 2002 Scooby-Doo movie, and how Warner Bros. didn’t exactly embrace his original R-rated vision.
On The Viall Files podcast, Gunn recalled the studio’s reaction to his first draft of the film, saying:
“The first movie was a nightmare. People know that our first rating was rated R – it was about something stupid; it was not an R-rated movie.
“We cut that one thing and then it was PG-13. We had written and directed a movie that was for teenagers, that was basically a little more like Austin Powers – it was more risque.”
As someone who loved watching Scooby-Doo as a kid, I can’t help but wonder what that early cut of the film looked like. A raunchier, teen-oriented version of Mystery Inc. would have been a very different experience than what fans knew of the franchise.
The final film, directed by Raja Gosnell from Gunn’s screenplay, followed the familiar gang of Shaggy (Matthew Lillard), Scooby (voiced by Neil Fanning), Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Fred (Freddie Prinze Jr.), and Velma (Linda Cardellini) as they reunite to investigate a case at Spooky Island, a horror-themed tropical resort.
On paper it had all the elements of a live-action cartoon, but Gunn says that wasn’t how it was originally built. He explained:
“They decided that this was a movie completely for family, children, and that everything needed to be adjusted to be for kids.
“Some of it… they couldn’t get around. The girls' cleavage was CGI'd [out] because of one test audience member in Sacramento who was like, ‘Why are their dresses so low-cut?’ So both Sarah and Linda's cleavage was CGI'd out.”
The changes were sweeping, shifting the tone from something slightly edgier to a safe family comedy. That didn’t stop Scooby-Doo from becoming a box office hit, but we can’t help but wonder what Gunn’s “Austin Powers-style” version might have delivered.
Interestingly, when the sequel Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed rolled around, Gunn seemed to get away with a little more. The PG-rated follow-up included more adult-leaning jokes, heavier action, and even that memorable scene where Velma rocks a skin-tight latex outfit. Somehow, it still passed as family-friendly entertainment.
Over the years, both movies have earned cult status. They may not have captured Gunn’s original plan, but fans continue to revisit them and enjoy them. My daughter loved those movie when she was a kid!