Matthew Lillard confirms return as Shaggy in new Scooby-Doo project

'I’m honoured to be Shaggy for as long as they’ll have me'

Having first achieved fame for his role in Scream, Lillard landed the role of Shaggy in the 2002 live-action film Scooby-Doo.

He reprised the part for a 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, and since then has provided the voice for the character since 2009 after Casey Kasem retired from the role.

Now, the 54-year-old has confirmed he's involved in a new Scooby-Doo project.

Speaking to Toonado, he said: "I’m really excited about [Scooby-Doo]. I can’t really talk about it yet, but there’s a new project I’m associated with that will allow kids to put themselves into a Scooby-Doo adventure. That’s super fun. For me, that’s my day job. It’s my bread and butter.

"For me, being Shaggy for so many years and holding space for that part while honouring Casey Kasem, I know eventually I’ll pass that part to the next generation as he did. I’m honoured to do that for as long as they’ll have me. Scooby-Doo is always in cycle in some capacity or another. We’re either doing a cartoon or a movie or a commercial for something."

He finished by saying it had been a "privilege and honour" to be the voice of Shaggy, and will "hold on to that as long as I can."

The most recent Scooby-Doo film was 2020 animated movie Scoob!, however this did not include Lillard as the voice of Shaggy.

Instead, Will Forte took on the role, with a stellar cast of Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Isaacs, Zac Efron and Gina Rodriguez also starring in the film.

However, Scoob! performed disappointingly both commercially and critically, and a sequel which had already been finished ended up being shelved.

Last year, Max premiered an animated adult spin-off show, Velma starring Mindy Kaling and in which Sam Richardson plays the role of Shaggy. Despite being negatively received, this has been renewed for a second series.

Related links:

Disney considering bringing back Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow

Scooby Doo star Linda Cardellini says it’s ‘great’ Velma has finally come out as a lesbian