Netflix Reveals First Live-Action Scooby Photo, Using a Real Dog for 2027 Series

Q: With Georgia’s film tax credit losing 81%, is hosting Scooby-Doo a smart investment or a costly mistake for the state?

On the numbers available, hosting “Scooby-Doo: Origins” looks more like a costly mistake for Georgia taxpayers than a smart public investment. The key issue is not whether the Netflix series will spend money in Atlanta; it will. A production of this size supports local crews, hotels, caterers, drivers, and studio space, and it helps keep Georgia visible as a filming hub. In the short term, that is real economic activity. But the broader evidence on Georgia’s film incentive program is much weaker. State auditors estimated that Georgia’s film tax credits returned only 19 cents in tax revenue for every dollar awarded between 2015 and 2022, implying an 81% loss to the state. The program reportedly cost $5.2 billion over that period. At the same time, production spending in Georgia has fallen sharply from its 2022 peak, suggesting the subsidy has not created a stable, self-sustaining industry. That matters because temporary spending is not the same as long-term value. Much of the work is project-based, many companies are based outside Georgia, and a large share of wages can flow to nonresidents. If the state is paying heavily for productions that can leave when another market offers better terms, the public return remains weak. So “Scooby-Doo” may be good for Atlanta soundstages and local vendors in the near term, but under the current tax-credit math, it is hard to call it a sound investment for the state budget.

3 articles · Updated · tvline.com · Jun 8

Netflix’s first photo from “Scooby-Doo: Origins” shows Scooby as a real Great Dane puppy rather than CGI, a first for the franchise’s live-action adaptations.
The 2027 series reimagines Mystery Inc. during a final summer at camp, where Shaggy and Daphne are drawn into a mystery tied to a lost puppy linked to a supernatural murder.
Velma and Freddy join the case as the story pulls the teens into a nightmare threatening to expose their secrets, according to the show’s logline.
Atlanta production is underway with Mckenna Grace, Tanner Hagen, Abby Ryder Fortson and Maxwell Jenkins, while Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg lead the Berlanti-produced drama.