Cut Queer Content from the 2002 Live-Action “Scooby-Doo” Film

During promotion on “Watch What Happens Live,” Sarah Michelle Gellar disclosed that the 2002 James Gunn-scripted “Scooby-Doo” movie originally filmed a “steamy” kiss between her character Daphne and Linda Cardellini’s Velma. Both the kiss and a line in which Daphne calls Fred “gay” were removed before the theatrical release. The cuts left the final film without the risqué moments that attracted the four actors to the project.

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Gunn revealed in a 2020 Twitter thread that his initial 2001 script made Velma explicitly gay, a portrayal he attempted to retain for the sequel “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.” According to Gunn, the studio repeatedly “watered it down,” ultimately eliminating any queer implication in the released version. The character’s lesbian identity later emerged in the 2022 animated feature “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!” and the HBO Max prequel series “Velma,” where she is depicted as queer.

Variety Magazine

Gellar said she signed onto the film because it was “less family-friendly,” noting that the cut scenes reflected that intent. Cardellini, speaking to *Entertainment Weekly* after Velma’s recent on-screen coming out, highlighted the character’s long cultural presence since 1969 and praised the eventual explicit lesbian portrayal. Gunn’s Twitter remarks confirm his original intent to make Velma gay and his frustration with studio constraints.

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• “There was a steamy kiss. It got cut. There was an actual kiss between Daphne and Velma that got cut,” — Sarah Michelle Gellar, Actress

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• “Daphne and Fred were having a fight and I yell at him, ‘That ascot makes you look gay!’ I slam the door [at him]. They cut that, too. I think that was the reason I signed onto the movie. It’s something everyone’s thought for a long time. There’s always been an implication about Fred being interested in both parties. It all got cut.” — Sarah Michelle Gellar, Actress

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• “In 2001, Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script,” — James Gunn, Writer/Director (Twitter)

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