Matthew Lillard’s Shaggy Return In New Scooby-Doo Series Is 2027’s Most Anticipated Comeback
Matthew Lillard is officially returning as Shaggy in a new Scooby-Doo series arriving in 2027, marking what may be the most anticipated actor comeback of the year, if not the decade. For 2000s kids, this is nothing short of a dream come true, while also giving a whole new generation the chance to discover why Lillard’s portrayal of the iconic character is so beloved.
As a 2000s kid, I grew up with the live-action Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004) movies. In fact, the VHS tapes for these two movies were easily among the most loved and frequently watched in my collection, seeing hundreds, if not thousands, of playbacks over the years.
As a result, Matthew Lillard became the face and voice of “my Shaggy,” just as he did for hundreds of thousands of kids worldwide. To this day, it’s truly impossible for me to imagine another actor in the role who could even come close.
Now, 22 years after Monsters Unleashed, Lillard is reprising this legendary role, albeit with a twist. Rather than returning for another live-action project, Lillard will voice Shaggy Rogers in the upcoming series Yokoso, Scooby-Doo!, marking the franchise’s first original anime series. And while this isn’t quite the R-rated live-action return some fans may have hoped for, I couldn’t be more excited.
Everything We Know About Matthew Lillard’s Shaggy Rogers Return In Yokoso, Scooby-Doo!
Frank Welker Also Returns To Voice Scooby-Doo
Yokoso, Scooby-Doo! will be a Japan-set, anime-inspired mystery adventure that pairs Scooby-Doo and Shaggy with several new characters. Notably, in addition to Lillard returning as the voice of Shaggy, longtime Scooby-Doo voice actor Frank Welker will also reprise his role as Scooby-Doo. While the franchise has seen countless animated series reboots over the years, fans can expect Yokoso, Scooby-Doo! to offer something wholly unique.
In addition to marking the franchise’s first venture into anime, the series will see classic Scooby-Doo shenanigans collide with Japanese folklore, delivering a completely new setting and adventure unlike anything fans are used to. Produced by Japanese animation studio OLM and distributed by Tubi, Yokoso, Scooby-Doo! has yet to confirm an exact release date but is expected to arrive sometime in 2027, meaning Lillard’s return is just around the corner.
<<img src="https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/matthew-lillard-as-shaggy-from-scooby-doo-fwith-freddy-prince-jr.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
</figure>
While Lillard’s Shaggy and Welker’s Scooby-Doo will understandably be the stars of the show, they’ll also be joined by several new characters, including Yume, a girl with magical powers; Takumi, a gadget whiz; and Scooby-Doo’s uncle, Daisuke-Doo (We can only hope that Daisuke-Doo is less nefarious than Scooby’s nephew, Scrappy-Doo).
Die-hard Scooby-Doo fans already know what to expect from Lillard’s voice acting, as he took over as Shaggy’s official animated voice around 2010, after original voice actor Casey Kasem retired from the role. Since then, Lillard has voiced Shaggy in numerous animated films, TV series, and video games. However, Yokoso, Scooby-Doo! will mark his first time venturing into anime as Shaggy Rogers, making this latest return particularly notable.
Matthew Lillard Deserves To Return As Shaggy In An R-Rated Scooby-Doo Movie
Dear Hollywood, Bring Back Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, and Linda Cardellini as Velma
-
-
Custom image by Amanda Bruce -
Custom Image by Debanjana Chowdhury
The kids who grew up watching Matthew Lillard’s Scooby-Doo movies are now all grown up, and it feels like the perfect time for the actor and his co-stars, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Linda Cardellini, to reprise their live-action roles. An R-rated movie bringing back the Mystery Inc. gang for a more mature, all-grown-up adventure could be exactly what longtime fans have been waiting for.
Matthew Lillard is already a horror icon thanks to his roles in some of the most legendary horror franchises of all time, including William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy’s and Stu Macher in Scream (1996), one of the original Ghostface killers alongside Billy Loomis. Fans of both franchises would undoubtedly go wild if news broke that Lillard’s horror and Scooby-Doo legacies were set to collide, especially if his fellow co-stars returned alongside him.
If you grew up a Scooby-Doo kid, let us know in the comments: Would you also like to see Matthew Lillard return for an R-rated Scooby-Doo movie?
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.