In 2002, Raja Gosnell directed a ‘Scooby-Doo‘ film that has become a cult classic. Now, several years later, the writer of the film, James Gunn, has opened up to reveal that the original target rating for the film was to be PG-13 and not the PG one that was seen in theaters.
So what happened? When ‘Scooby-Doo’ was screened to be rated, the MPAA originally gave the film an R-rating — a far cry from the PG-13 they were aiming for. Because of this, some major edits had to be made.
So what changed? In a Twitter thread, Gunn revealed:
“The movie was originally meant to be PG-13 & was cut down to PG after like 3 parents were outraged at a test screening in Sacramento. The studio decided to go a more family-friendly route. Language and jokes and sexual situations were removed, including a kiss between Daphne and Velma. Cleavage was CGI’d over. But, thankfully, the farting remained. I thought at the time the rating change was a mistake. I felt like a lot of teens came out for the first film and didn’t get what they wanted (and didn’t come back for the sequel). But today I don’t know. So many young kids loved those movies, which is pretty cool.”
With the Scooby-Doo series never really targeting older audiences, it feels like none of these changes should have come as too much of a surprise.
For those who were looking for an extra spicy version of the film that had more cleavage and showed Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Daphne and Linda Cardellini’s Velma locking lips, you’ll be out of luck. Gunn is pretty sure that any previous cuts of the film still exist in Warner Brother’s archives.
Do you feel that ‘Scooby-Doo’ would have done as well over the years had it been rated PG-13 with the original material not cut? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: James Gunn Twitter
