André 3000 and Cathy Moriarty Join Netflix's Scooby-Doo: Origins

Netflix’s live-action Scooby-Doo series has added two more recognizable names.

André “3000” Benjamin and Cathy Moriarty have joined Scooby-Doo: Origins in recurring roles, according to Netflix. Their characters have not been revealed.

The casting comes while the eight-episode series is in production in Atlanta. Netflix has set a 2027 release window, but there is still no exact premiere date.

André 3000 already has a Scooby-Doo connection

Benjamin’s casting comes with a fun bit of franchise history.

As one half of OutKast, he co-wrote and performed on “Land of a Million Drums,” the OutKast track featuring Killer Mike and Sleepy Brown that appeared on the soundtrack to the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo movie.

That was a music contribution rather than an acting role. Scooby-Doo: Origins gives Benjamin his first announced acting part in a Scooby-Doo screen story.

Netflix has not said who he is playing, and the same goes for Moriarty, whose film credits include Raging Bull and Casper.

Netflix has already cast the young Mystery Inc.

The central four teenagers were announced earlier this year.

Mckenna Grace plays Daphne Blake, Tanner Hagen is Shaggy Rogers, Abby Ryder Fortson plays Velma Dinkley, and Maxwell Jenkins is Fred Jones.

Grace has a small piece of Scooby history herself: she voiced young Daphne in SCOOB! (2020). This time she is playing the character in live action.

Paul Walter Hauser is also part of the series in an undisclosed role. Netflix’s previously announced supporting cast includes Rusty Schwimmer, Peter Macon, Maxwell Simkins, Jona Xiao, Dani Deetté, Elysée Sanvillé, Alex Isles, Avery Kristen Pohl, Pamela Mitchell, Ross Kimball, Sara Gilbert, Wynn Everett, Sauriyan Sapkota, Bruce McGill and Sherilyn Fenn.

What is Scooby-Doo: Origins about?

Netflix describes the show as a modern reimagining of the gang’s beginnings.

During their final summer at camp, longtime friends Shaggy and Daphne find a lonely Great Dane puppy that may have witnessed a supernatural murder. Their investigation brings them together with Velma, a scientific-minded local, and Fred, the mysterious new kid.

The point is not to start with a fully formed Mystery Inc.

This is the case that brings the group together.

That makes the setup different from many previous Scooby-Doo versions, where the gang is already established by the time the story begins.

Scooby is a real Great Dane this time

Netflix is using a real Great Dane to portray Scooby-Doo on screen. Photo: Steve Dietl / Netflix.

Netflix has confirmed one particularly unusual choice: Scooby will be portrayed on screen by a real Great Dane for the first time in the franchise’s history.

A teaser released in June showed the puppy wearing Scooby’s familiar teal collar and being held by Shaggy.

Netflix has not publicly announced a voice performer for Scooby in the series, so claims that a particular longtime franchise actor is already confirmed should be treated cautiously until the streamer says so.

Who is making the series?

Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg are the showrunners and executive producers.

They are joined by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman for Berlanti Productions, plus André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner and Adrienne Erickson through Midnight Radio.

Toby Haynes is directing the premiere episode and also serves as an executive producer.

The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television for Netflix and is based on the Hanna-Barbera characters.

Is this connected to the old live-action movies?

Nothing Netflix has announced suggests that Scooby-Doo: Origins shares continuity with the 2002 Scooby-Doo film or its 2004 sequel.

It should also not be described as only the second live-action Scooby-Doo project. The franchise has had several live-action films over the years.

What Origins is, according to Netflix, is the first live-action Scooby-Doo television series.

That is the cleaner distinction.

When does Scooby-Doo: Origins come out?

Production began in Atlanta in April 2026 and remains underway.

Netflix says the series will premiere in 2027, but it has not announced the exact date.

Benjamin and Moriarty’s characters are still secret, as is Paul Walter Hauser’s role. Netflix has also kept most story details beyond the initial camp mystery under wraps.

For now, the casting news adds two more names to an already large ensemble — and gives André 3000 a much more direct return to a franchise he first touched through its soundtrack more than two decades ago.