‘Velma’: Mindy Kaling & Charlie Grandy on Why Playing With Iconic Scooby Characters Was ‘Terrifying’ (VIDEO)

Mindy Kaling and Charlie Grandy are bringing a new, modernized version of Velma — and the rest of the Scooby Gang — to HBO Max in 2023, and given their love for the original series, it looks to be in good hands.

Velma‘s Kaling (who also voices the titular character) and Grandy sat down with Damian Holbrook in TV Insider and TV Guide Magazine‘s studio at New York Comic Con 2022 to discuss the new series and getting the chance to play with such iconic characters.

Both grew up watching the original Scooby Doo, and so “it’s such a joy to be able to work with those characters,” Kaling said, adding how grateful they are to Hanna Barbera and Warner Bros. Animation that they can do that in addition to having the chance to “modernize certain elements.”

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That being said, Kaling added, it is “terrifying, too, because everyone loves Velma. You go to the floor of Comic Con or every Halloween, and she’s such an iconic character. She’s like Batman for nerdy Indian girls like me. So we don’t want to mess it up. We’re so proud of the show. It’s so funny.”

And for Kaling, bringing on Grandy, whom she met on The Office and who came from Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show, was the perfect choice. “He knows how to write for female characters,” she said of the topical joke writer. Speaking of the jokes, Grandy noted that they “really prioritized” bringing in great joke writers to the staff.

Watch the video interview above for more from Kaling and Grandy about Velma, including bringing in the Scooby Gang (minus the dog) — Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, and Constance Wu are voicing Fred, Shaggy, and Daphne — and the importance of that first Zoom table read.

Velma, Series Premiere, 2023, HBO Max