The Official Teaser For HBO Max's Velma Promises Sharp Humor And Meta-Mystery
It's been a big day for the "Scooby-Doo"niverse. Particularly the iconic, bespectacled brains of the Mystery Incorporated gang, Velma Dinkley. Yes, after years of speculation, the Velma of "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!" is officially out of the closet, crushing hard on the villainous Coco Diablo (via Decider) and being celebrated across social media and even Google.
She is also getting her own show. This is, to be fair, not exactly news, as Mindy Kaling's adult-themed spin-off "Velma," which is making a huge splash on the internet, had been in the works at HBO Max for some time. But most fans know better than to count their chickens before they hatch in this fickle entertainment landscape. Indeed, the series' trademark was listed as abandoned in July, though HBO content officer Casey Bloys quickly clarified that the series was still in production (via Vanguard).
Now, with the show's trailer officially released, fans have something to hang onto and a sense of what this new grown-up entry into the world of "Scooby-Doo!" will have to offer.
The trailer is full of winks and nudges to the changing world of cartoons and pop culture
Given that it enters a world where mature cartoons are increasingly irreverent and self-referential, it makes sense that this new Velma would be too. Voiced, of course, by Mindy Kaling, Velma paces through her house on a dark and stormy night, speaking aloud as she types a critical message to HBO Max regarding their upcoming origin story of Judy Jetson. Velma's gripe is that the producers plan to diverge from Judy's portrayal in the original series. Velma thinks things should stay as they are.
"Well, at least Judy's still white," says Velma as we see her face for the first time. She is, as had been promised, and in contrast to every other portrayal up until now, South Asian. The phone rings, and, in an obvious nod to things that happen in the "Scream" franchise, a creepy voice is on the other end, and a serial killer is in her house.
This classic trope excites Velma, who is diverted into a tangent on the need not to change anything before she registers that ... well, she has a serial killer in her house. Then comes the blood spray. Though no specific release date has been announced, we know this mature, tongue-in-cheek "Velma" will come to HBO Max sometime in 2023.