Buffy the Vampire Slayer legend Sarah Michelle Gellar has reacted to the new casting announcement for another of her iconic roles, as it was confirmed this week that Netflix’s Scooby-Doo reboot has found its Daphne.
It was reported (via Variety) that The Handmaid’s Tale’s Mckenna Grace would be taking on the character for this new project, with Netflix’s new series set to delve into the origins of the famous Mystery Inc. gang. Gellar – who previously played Daphne in the early-2000s’ live-action movies Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed – has now responded, offering full praise.
Deadline reports that Sarah Michelle Gellar posted on her Instagram Stories, with the words: “You are going to be perfect!!”
Mckenna Grace revealed the casting news on her own Instagram account, sharing her excitement at playing the beloved character. “Oh my jeepers,” the caption read, along with a heart emoji. “I can’t believe life is real I could cry all over again just looking at this announcement. So thankful, SO excited”.
The star also previously lent her voice to Daphne in the 2020 animated movie Scoob!. Netflix’s new live-action adaptation, from showrunners Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg and forming an eight-part series, will focus on how the band of mystery-solvers first got together.
Warner Bros.
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As previously revealed by the synopsis, it will introduce “old friends” Shaggy and Daphne, who get “embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder”.
“Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma, and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy, they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets,” it continues.
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As for Sarah Michelle Gellar, she’s currently a judge on Netflix’s live talent competition Star Search.
Of course, all eyes are also on the eagerly-awaited upcoming Buffy return – that Gellar has previously clarified is not a sequel or a reboot, but is instead “a continuation” – which will see the original star reprise her role of Buffy Summers, while welcoming a new Slayer, played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong.
The WB
Gellar has also been added to the cast of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, the sequel to 2019 horror smash, which will also see Samara Weaving back as Grace.
The movie’s directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin previously said: “We can’t say enough about how much we love the ensemble in this movie. We think everyone brought something genuinely special to their roles, and we’re so thrilled with how scary, funny and bizarre this cast of characters are.”
They later added: “To see Samara back in that character and back in that dress felt really special to us.”
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Â Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK’s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. Â As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world’s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).Â