The writer behind the 2002 Scooby-Doo film said that he tried to make the character Velma Dinkley a lesbian, but the studio rejected it and made her straight.
Screenplay writer James Gunn tweeted the Velma was “explicitly gay” in the script he wrote.
Related: Russia bans kids from ‘Power Rangers’ after headlines about lesbian character
“But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel),” he wrote.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
I tried! In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel). 😐 https://t.co/Pxho6Ju1oQ
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 13, 2020
The 2001 film takes place several years after the cartoons. The gang has broken up and pursued careers and love interests separately, and Shaggy even has a girlfriend in the film.
The first cut of the film, according to Gunn, was rated R. Velma and Daphne even had a kiss in the first cut of the film.
“I had written an edgier film geared toward older kids and adults, and the studio ended pushing it into a clean-cut children’s film,” he said in a 2017 interview. “And, yes, the rumors are true: the first cut was rated R by the MPAA, and the female stars’ cleavage was CGI’d away so as not to offend.”
Last month, the creator of the 2010 animated series Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Tony Cervone posted a Pride picture of Velma with the character Marcie Fleach.
“I’ve said this before, but Velma in Mystery Incorporated is not bi,” wrote Cervone in response to a fan. “She’s gay.”