“Why change the original?”: Fans criticized Scooby-Doo creators claiming heroine homosexuality

Screenwriter and director James Gunn admitted that he wanted to make the central character of the 2002 film Scooby-Doo Velma homosexual. He said this on Twitter in response to a request from fans to make a feature film with a similar plot move.

"I have tried! In 2001, according to my original scenario, Velma was an open lesbian. But the studio kept eroding this question, creating uncertainty on it (as it turned out in the footage), then brought it to nothing (as can be seen from the final version), and in the end they came up with a guy (in the sequel). ”

I tried! In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel). 😐 https://t.co/Pxho6Ju1oQ

The reason for the appearance of such a request was the recent reports of the producer of the animated series "Scooby-Doo! Riddle Corporation Tony Cervone, who also worked on some of the franchise's full-length films as a director.

On June 29, Cervone posted a post on his Instagram account with the image of Velma and the secondary character Marcy against the background of the flag of the LGBT community. In the signature, he explained that the team of the series in every way tried to hint at the heroines ’unconventional sexual orientation.

“Marcy and Velma - The Riddle Corporation. Of course, I can’t speak for all versions of Velma Dinkley, but I am one of those who is better than the others to explain this particular version of it. We set out our intentions as clearly as possible ten years ago. Most of our fans understood the essence of our plan. Well, for those who do not understand, I propose to take a closer look. This is not news, ”the filmmaker wrote.

Later, screenshots of Chervone’s response to a subscriber’s comment were distributed on the network, in which the producer further clarified his position regarding the character’s orientation. He emphasized that it was precisely this moment that caused the embarrassment in Velma’s relationship with Shaggy.

“I have already said: Velma from the Riddle Corporation does not have a bisexual, but a homosexual orientation. Our plan has always been that Velma should behave in a slightly strange and unusual way when she meets Shaggy, because this relationship did not suit her, and she experienced implied difficulties in understanding the reasons. "

Some fans took the news enthusiastically. Nevertheless, many fans did not like this revision.

“She was never a lesbian. Scooby-Doo (1969). It was just a cartoon. I watched it in childhood and never thought about whether this or that character is homosexual or not. I just looked and rejoiced. Why change the original? We live in a very boring world, ”one of Twitter users wrote.

Tony Cervone and James Gann were really involved in the production of only some parts of the franchise, which came out in the 2000s and later. The original animated series "Where are you, Scooby-Doo?" It was first shown on television back in 1969. Then he starred in the studio Hanna-Barbera. 

Some of the users of the social network even accused Chervone of misunderstanding their own feeds. “Dude clearly does not remember what was really in the animated series. Velma was actively pursuing relationships with Shaggy. She even put him before a choice: either she or Scuba. And if someone behaved “in a slightly strange way” in a relationship, then it was Shaggy, ”said another microblogger.

Fans also recall that Velma was in a relationship with male characters in various films and animated films.

In January, James Gunn said that Velma and Daphne had to kiss on the screen: in this way the heroines solved the problem of exchanging bodies. 

However, the parents who were present at the test show demanded that the tape be assigned a rating of PG (“Parent presence is recommended”) instead of PG-13 (“Children under 13 do not want viewing”). Therefore, many controversial scenes were cut from the film.

Earlier, a flurry of criticism from the Internet community faced American actress Holly Berry. She talked about a new project in which she could play the role of transgender. The actress, according to network users, chose the “wrong” words: she used the feminine pronouns in relation to the transgender man, while she had to say “he”.

Some also stated that Berry, in principle, has no right to play transgender as a cisgender woman. As a result, the actress decided to abandon the role, since “representatives of the transgender community, no doubt, should have the opportunity to tell stories about themselves”.