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Matthew Lillard set to return as Shaggy in mystery Scooby Doo project

4 March 2024, 14:31

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By Katie Louise Smith

"I’m honoured to be Shaggy for as long as they’ll have me."

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Zoinks! Matthew Lillard has confirmed that he's returning as Shaggy in a mystery Scooby-Doo project.

As well as playing Shaggy in Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Matthew has been the voice of Shaggy in all animated iterations of the iconic character since 2009, following the retirement of Casey Kasem.

However, backlash mounted on social media in 2020 when he was not asked to be part of Scoob!, and was replaced as Shaggy by Will Forte. Matthew himself said it was a "bummer" that he was not asked to reprise the role.

He's thankfully been back voicing Shaggy in a couple of recent projects, and he's now confirmed that he'll be back again as the Mystery Incorporated icon in a brand new project.

Matthew Lillard will return as Shaggy in mystery Scooby Doo project. Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images, Warner Bros. Pictures

Speaking to Toonado in a new interview, Matthew said: "I’m really excited about [Scooby-Doo]. I can’t really talk about it yet, but there’s a new project I’m associated with that will allow kids to put themselves into a Scooby-Doo adventure. That’s super fun. For me, that’s my day job. It’s my bread and butter."

Matthew did not reveal whether it will be a live-action role.

"For me, being Shaggy for so many years and holding space for that part while honouring Casey Kasem, I know eventually I’ll pass that part to the next generation as he did," he said of continuing to play the role. "I’m honoured to do that for as long as they’ll have me. Scooby-Doo is always in cycle in some capacity or another. We’re either doing a cartoon or a movie or a commercial for something."

"There are a million different iterations of it and something is always in the works," he added. "I’ve had the privilege and honour of being that voice for the last 16 or 17 years, so I will hold on to that as long as I can."

Matthew Lillard's last appearance as live-action Shaggy was in 2004's Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed. Picture: Alamy

Back in 2020, Matthew reacted to not being cast as the voice of Shaggy in Scoob!.

"About Scoob, I don’t have a lot of nice things to say," he told Entertainment Tonight. "I wish them well, I hope the movie does really well. I mean, it was a drag. And I was surprised that happened. And I think Hollywood's an interesting place and I’ve been around for a long time. Some of them are easier than others when you don’t get a job, but that one was a bummer."

"I like playing the part I like sort of having a legacy and a career that I’ve spent 30 years doing. So I like the fact that I was that part, and it was a bummer that it went a different way," he concluded.