Hey folks, Harry here.... As you go around online today and for the next few days you will be reading set reports by several sites that visited the SCOOBY DOO sets in Australia. You will hear about really cool sets, wonderful design work and guarded comments about Scooby himself.
Warner Brothers had a nice little junket where they showed some really great online guys (Garth @ DarkHorizons, Smilin' Jack Ruby @ Chud and many others) to examine the sets and send back reports based upon their experiences there.
Already, Garth has his report up... and from the sound of things, the sets are incredibly cool. The 'SPOOKY ISLAND' set sounds like it would be an awesome experience to walk around in. They were told about Wire-Fu and Hong Kong fighting that Sarah Michelle Gellar's Daphne will do in the film.... ahem... so it seems they are Buffy-ing Daphne quite a bit, which could be fun... And there are a lot of details that would lead you to believe that .... well... SCOOBY DOO is gonna Rule!
I have no doubts whatsoever, that the trailers to SCOOBY DOO are going to look sumptious. That the worst publicity photo of the group.... we've probably already seen. That the music for the film might sound great. That there will be all sorts of positive elements to this film.
And it should also be noted that it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Matt Lillard and Freddie Prinze Jr may in fact be charming and nice guys in person. Afterall, they do get parts in movies somehow.
But one thing you need to realize the entire time you read all of this coverage is that the script sucks beyond words. That no matter how pretty it may look... beneath those baubles and rhinestones is a steaming pile of worm infested feces. And when you give that type of material to someone like Lillard and Prinze.... coughwingcoughcommandercough!
I would love to be wrong on this one folks, I would. I love SCOOBY DOO dearly, but this script was just a canker. NOOOOOWWWWW, perhaps it has changed under the expert attentions of Raja Gosnell, but given his past history... there are no indications that he shepards films to higher quaility. However, it is especially nice to note that Freddie Prinze Jr is qualified to play Fred because he has all the Scooby Doo episodes on tape and watches them regularly... as do I, but ya don't see me trying out for the role of Velma, though I have to say, to get in Velma's skirt... that soft pullover... my hair styled just soooooo, anyway..
One person I was talking to about the coverage that Garth wrote mentioned suspicion about them having signed a document that forbids them from talking about certain things they saw. WELLLL, folks don't worry about whether Garth and Smilin' Jack are on the up and up about what they saw.... If they can't tell us how wonderful or shitty SCOOBY looks... that's fine, because if they really hated his design, you could feel it in the TONE of their coverage. As you read future items from them, you would feel a negativity and pessimism in their writing.
Garth's piece is quite optimistic and hopeful.... as you will find most every set report that you'll ever read to be. WHY? Because when you go to a set, the filmmakers are at their best... especially when it is the official press day. However, if Warners really wants to change the buzz on SCOOBY DOO... it'll have to begin with the film itself.... and they'll need to not only screen it... but screen towards those with questions and doubts about the project. We'll see, like I said, I hope Raja pulls it out.... I just doubt it severly.
