After over 50 years of thanklessly solving mysteries for her friends, “Scooby-Doo’s” Velma Dinkley is finally getting her time in the spotlight.
According to a Warner Media press release, HBO Max is developing a new animated series, titled “Velma,” that will explore the origins of “the unsung and underappreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang” with an “original and humorous spin.”
“Office” alum Mindy Kaling will serve as the show’s executive producer in addition to voicing its title character, Entertainment Weekly reports. According to Collider, Kaling will be joined by two fellow “Office” alums, Charlie Grandy and Howard Klein, who are slated to co-produce the series. According to the site, “Velma” has been given a 10-episode order from HBO Max.
Hours after the series was announced, Kaling posted a message on Twitter eliciting one of Velma’s most popular catchphrases: “Jinkies what a response!”
Entertainment Weekly reports that Kaling will join a long list of actresses who’ve played the bespectacled mystery solver. Linda Cardellini portrayed the character in 2002 live-action comedy “Scooby-Doo” and its 2004 sequel “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.” Pop star Hayley Kiyoko played Velma in 2009’s TV-movie “Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins” and in 2020, Gina Rodriguez voiced the character in the animated feature “Scoob!”
It’s important to note that the new spinoff series is being billed as one of HBO Max’s “adult animated shows,” according to Collider, marking a clear shift away from “Scooby Doo’s” target family demographic.