If you watched Cartoon Network in the '90s, you'll recognise a few names here that'll bring a smile to your face.
At this year's CinemaCon, Warner Bros. announced that plans are underway for a Hanna-Barbera 'cinematic universe' in the same vein as DC Comics, Marvel and, well, every big studio nowadays. The plan is to bring back characters such as the Flintstones, Jetsons, Johnny Quest, Top Cat, Yogi Bear, Grape Ape, Inch High Private Eye, Dick Dastardly and Muttley, Penelope Pitstop and all the HB Cartoons for a unified franchise.
Scooby-Doo, arguably the most well-known of Hanna-Barbera's output, is lined up for a reboot in 2018 with S.C.O.O.B and will take the form of an animated comedy. At this point, no characters beyond Scooby Doo have been confirmed, but there's a huge wealth of potential here that could be introduced.
Fans of Adult Swim will know that some of the more action-orientated cartoons, namely Space Ghost and SeaLab 2020, were co-opted and reused for some of the most off-kilter, experimental animation you're ever likely to see. We're really not joking. Just take a look at this - Space Ghost Coast To Coast, made up entirely of reused footage from the original '60s Space Ghost and turned into a Larry Sanders Show-style comedy. With Randy Savage as Space Ghost's grandfather.
So, thoughts? It's entirely possible that the reason no future names have been planned is because they've got to see how the first one plays out and if there's an appetite for it. More often than not, Scooby-Doo and the like were all straight-to-video films. Not only that, Jem & The Holograms proved that just because a film has a nostalgia factor doesn't mean it'll play well or make its money back.
Whether any of these will see the light of day remains to be seen, but here's hoping it works out because who doesn't want to see Johnny Quest back on our screens?
