Casting Fred For Netflix’s Live-Action Scooby-Doo Show: 9 Actors Who Would Be Perfect

May 26, 2024, 7:10 p.m.

Movies

Casting Fred For Netflix’s Live-Action Scooby-Doo Show: 9 Actors Who Would Be Perfect

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Summary Casting the right actor as Fred Jones for Netflix's live-action Scooby-Doo show is crucial for setting the tone of the series.

The portrayal of Fred as either intelligent, bossy, or ignorant will influence fans' expectations for the entire show.

Actors like Jacob Elordi, Charles Melton, and Joe Keery are potential fits for the role.

Not much is known about Netflix's upcoming live-action Scooby-Doo show, but casting the right actor to play Fred Jones will be vital. There have been plenty of different Scooby-Doo shows and movies since the characters first appeared in 1967, but Netflix's new series will be the first live-action show. This makes casting even more important than usual, since fans will likely form opinions about the entire show based on the actors.

Fred is the charismatic leader of the Mystery Gang. He's usually the one driving the Mystery Machine, and he makes a lot of the gang's key decisions. Different adaptations of Scooby-Doo have portrayed Fred as either intelligent, bossy or ignorant, so casting Fred will indicate what kind of show fans can expect. Until more plot details are revealed, fans will be left to speculate on who could don the iconic orange ascot.

Related Live-Action Scooby-Doo Series Coming To Netflix A live-action Scooby-Doo show is in development at Netflix from producer Greg Berlanti and Cowboy Bebop writers Josh Appelbaum & Scott Rosenberg.

9 Austin Butler

Known for Elvis (2022), Masters of the Air (2024) and Dune: Part Two (2024)

Austin Butler is having a big 2024. Not only was he the standout performer in Dune: Part Two, he also stole the show in Apple TV's World War II drama Masters of the Air, in which he plays the stoic hero Buck Clevens. Alongside Callum Turner, Butler is key to most of Masters of the Air's best scenes. Buck is a man of few words, but Butler manages to say a lot without saying anything.

Austin Butler is having a big 2024. Not only was he the standout performer in Dune: Part Two, he also stole the show in Apple TV's World War II drama Masters of the Air.

Austin Butler might be out of reach for Netflix's Scooby-Doo, with his career taking off to a new level, but he would be a brilliant Fred Jones if he could be convinced. Before breaking into movies, Butler had a few memorable roles in more teen-oriented shows. His starring role in the Sex and the City prequel show, The Carrie Diaries, showed that he could blend comedy with his considerable dramatic chops.

8 Jacob Elordi

Known for the Kissing Booth movies, Euphoria (2019-) and Saltburn (2023)

Like Austin Butler, Jacob Elordi recently starred in a movie as Elvis Presley, but Priscilla takes a different approach to Elvis. Although the Sofia Coppola movie doesn't show much of Elvis the musician, Elordi is just as captivating as Elvis the man. He has a laid-back charisma that equips him well for a multitude of roles, and he cranks this up as high as it goes for Elvis Presley.

Elordi brings a lot of depth to Nate in Euphoria, and he could easily do the same for Fred Jones, a character who comes loaded with assumptions.

What will probably be most important for the Scooby-Doo series, more so than his good looks and effortless cool, is Elordi's experience with young adult movies and shows. As well as playing young heartthrob Noah in The Kissing Booth movies, Elordi plays Nate Jacobs in Euphoria, arguably the most prestigious and well-received teen show of the last decade. Elordi brings a lot of depth to Nate, and he could easily do the same for Fred Jones, a character who comes loaded with assumptions.

Related Casting Daphne For Netflix’s Scooby-Doo Live-Action Show: 10 Actors Who’d Be Perfect There are no plot details about Netflix’s live-action Scooby-Doo series, but casting the right Daphne Blake will be just as important to the show.

7 Billy Magnussen

Known for No Time to Die (2021), Made for Love (2021-2022) and Road House (2024)

Billy Magnussen is just as comfortable playing the villain as he is playing the hero. His role in Road House is a perfect example of this, as he plays the volatile, power-hungry son of a mysterious billionaire. However, many of Magnussen's other movies and shows allow him to tap into his lighter side. He has appeared in several comedy shows, including The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Friends From College.

Magnussen could be the ideal Fred Jones thanks to his goofy charm, and he certainly looks the part.

Magnussen looks a lot younger than he is, although he still wouldn't be the right profile if Netflix wanted Scooby-Doo's Mystery Gang to be high school age, as they are in so many adaptations. In a different kind of adaptation, Magnussen could be the ideal Fred Jones thanks to his goofy charm, and he certainly looks the part. Without knowing any plot details or other casting choices, it's hard to say for sure if Magnussen would be a good pick.

6 Manny Jacinto

Known for the Good Place (2016-2020)

Depending on how Netflix's Scooby-Doo wants to approach the character of Fred Jones, Manny Jacinto could be perfect. While he's too old now to play a teenage Fred, he would be an interesting pick if the show aged up its characters, as some Scooby-Doo shows have done. Jacinto has Fred's lovable charisma and good looks, so he would be a great face for the Mystery Gang.

While Manny Jacinto is too old now to play a teenage Fred, he would be an interesting pick if the show aged up its characters.

Some versions of Fred Jones portray him as an empty-headed but kind-hearted goof, usually to highlight Velma's intelligence or Daphne's abilities as the real leader. In an adaptation like this, Jacinto would thrive, having already played one of TV's great himbos in The Good Place. Jason Mendoza is often disregarded because of his terrible ideas, but he is the moral center of the group that keeps them all pulling together. This could provide the template for a different kind of Fred Jones.

5 Joe Keery

Known for Stranger Things (2016-2025)

Stranger Things season 5 will bring the show to a close, but Scooby-Doo could provide Joe Keery with his next project. Keery plays Steve Harrington in Stranger Things, initially an emotionally stunted jock who develops into a caring and responsible friend. As one of the older kids, he tasks himself with looking after the younger kids as if he's their big brother. This reflects how Fred Jones is the leader of the Mystery Gang.

Joe Keery's performance as Steve Harrington shows that he can make a questionable jock into a lovable, morally complex character.

Joe Keery's performance as Steve Harrington shows that he can make a questionable jock into a lovable, morally complex character. This could be just what's needed for Scooby-Doo, because some versions of the character have been aloof and self-obsessed to counteract Shaggy and Scooby's down-to-Earth charm. Netflix may be developing Scooby-Doo as a kind of replacement for Stranger Things, with its paranormal mysteries and teenage dynamics, so Keery would be a natural fit.

Related Casting Live-Action Velma For Netflix’s Scooby-Doo Show: 9 Actors Who Would Be Perfect An upcoming live-action Scooby-Doo series allows for the opportunity to toss around ideas about which actors would be best suited to play Velma.

4 Lukas Gage

Known for American Vandal (2017-2018), You (2018-) and Road House (2024)

Lukas Gage has played a few great comedy roles, and he can often be relied on to be the comic relief in more dramatic shows. He's a painfully ignorant husband in season 5 of Fargo, and a naive resort staffer in season 1 of The White Lotus. Road House gives Gage a small role as a pupil of his bar's new bouncer. This allows Gage to play a comedic role where he isn't the butt of the joke.

Gage would work wonders as Fred Jones in a comedic take on Scooby-Doo, but he could just as easily adapt to a variety of other genres.

Gage would work wonders as Fred Jones in a comedic take on Scooby-Doo, but he could just as easily adapt to a variety of other genres. Netflix's recent hit Dead Boy Detectives features Gage as a supernatural trickster. The new Scooby-Doo series may end up being very similar in tone, and Gage could instead play one of the detectives himself. He has the Fred Jones look as well as his bold confidence.

3 Justice Smith

Known for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Justice Smith has an impressive number of high profile roles under his belt already, having appeared in a string of big summer blockbusters from Pokémon Detective Pikachu to 2023's Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Although none of these movies have yet developed into a franchise for Smith, despite Detective Pikachu 2 being confirmed years ago, he has had a few other roles which show his potential.

It's unclear at this early stage if Netflix's Scooby-Doo will feature real supernatural elements or not, but Smith could be a good addition to the Mystery Gang either way.

Justice Smith stars in I Saw the TV Glow, a new psychological horror movie from director Jane Schoenbrun. Smith's emotional performance helps sell the film's twisty supernatural surprises. It's unclear at this early stage if Netflix's Scooby-Doo will feature real supernatural elements or not, but Smith could be a good addition to the Mystery Gang either way. He could be a more comedic Fred.

2 Charles Melton

Known for Riverdale (2017-2023) and May December (2023)

Netflix's live-action Scooby-Doo series is being produced by Greg Berlanti, who previously worked on Riverdale, and he may be tempted to choose actors for his new show from his biggest hit. KJ Apa and Cole Sprouse could also be good picks for the character of Fred Jones, but Charles Melton seems like the surest fit. Melton plays Reggie Mantle in Riverdale, the self-assured town prankster.

Netflix's live-action Scooby-Doo series is being produced by Greg Berlanti, who previously worked on Riverdale, and he may be tempted to choose actors for his new show from his biggest hit.

Charles Melton followed Riverdale up with an outstanding performance in Todd Haynes' drama May December, which earned him a slew of awards nominations. If Berlanti does create a Scooby-Doo series that's similar in tone to Riverdale, with supernatural mysteries and teen drama, Melton would be a great choice. However, he's also shown that he could play an older Fred Jones.

Related Casting Shaggy For Netflix’s Scooby-Doo Live-Action Show: 10 Actors Who Would Be Perfect With a Netflix live-action series of Scooby-Doo currently in early development, it's worth considering who could play roles like Shaggy in the series.

1 Logan Lerman

Known for the Percy Jackson movies, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) and Hunters (2020-2023)

Logan Lerman first shot to fame in the Percy Jackson movies, and he added to this with a critically-acclaimed performance in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He has since transitioned to more mature roles in movies such as Fury and Bullet Train, but his most substantial role of recent years has come in Amazon's Hunters. Lerman plays Jonah, a young Nazi hunter in 1970s America.

Although there will be no season 3 of Hunters, the two seasons which do exist show two different reasons why Logan Lerman would make a great Fred Jones.

Although there will be no season 3 of Hunters, the two seasons which do exist show two different reasons why Logan Lerman would make a great Fred Jones. The first season is about Jonah discovering the world of Nazi hunting and unraveling the mystery of his grandmother's death, while the second season is more action-packed. This shows that Lerman would be a great fit for both the mystery elements and the action of Netflix's Scooby-Doo reboot.