Scooby-Doo: Shaggy Actor Matthew Lillard Says No Third Live-Action Movie
Shaggy actor Matthew Lillard doubts he'll appear in a live-action Scooby-Doo 3 after Saturday [...]
Shaggy actor Matthew Lillard doubts he'll appear in a live-action Scooby-Doo 3 after Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte was cast as the voice of the munching mystery solver in Scoob!, the franchise's newly released feature-length animated reboot. Lillard played the live-action version of the character in 2002's Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed — where he starred alongside Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Linda Cardellini — before voicing Shaggy in two dozen direct-to-video films as well as multiple animated series, including Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Be Cool Scooby-Doo! and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?
Asked by TooFab about a third live-action Scooby-Doo, Lillard said, "No. They have [Scoob!] coming out … If I'm not in the animated version, I will not be in the regular one."
In March 2019, Lillard learned of Forte's casting on Twitter. In response to the news, Lillard tweeted, "What a crappy way to find out... thanks Hollywood. You never [cease] to amaze me."
Since then, Lillard went viral when one of his tweets — a response to a fan's appreciation post — was liked more than 300,000 times.
Well shit... this is just about the nicest thing ever...
Thank you. https://t.co/9YonhvRvRA
— matthew lillard (@MatthewLillard) November 4, 2019
Lillard once felt "shame" over starring in the live-action Scooby-Doo movies, both of them poorly received, before saying in a 2015 interview he's "proud" to play Shaggy Rogers.
"When they first came out, I thought that they were incredible. I was super-proud of my performance and I was happy to be at the forefront of a huge franchise for Warner Bros," he said. "But then, for a while, I lost my street credibility — it's like, 'Oh you're in kids' movies about a talking dog?' — it's kind of a joke. So there was a moment where I had a lot of shame about being that guy. Now I'm on the other side — I'm 45 years old, 13 years older. The movies are what they were, and I don't judge them."
Lillard added, "I certainly am proud I did Scooby-Doo and I don't know what I'd be doing if I didn't have that character in my life."
Dear SCOOB.
I hope you're everything the world needs in this time of crisis. Have a great opening. #zoinks. .
— matthew lillard (@MatthewLillard) May 15, 2020
Despite sitting out Scoob! — where Forte is joined by voice actors Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Gina Rodriguez, Ken Jeong, Tracy Morgan, Jason Isaacs, and Mark Wahlberg — Lillard wished the movie a "great opening" on the day Scoob! became available on premium video on demand after the film was forced to abandon its plans for theatrical release.
Scoob! is now available to rent or purchase through various digital retailers.
