Scoob! Holiday Haunt was one of the films that did not survive the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Now, the film is apparently fully complete but still won't receive a release, though the producer and co-writer shared a behind-the-scenes tease.
Despite being nearly complete, Scoob! Holiday Haunt was cancelled due to the company's shift to focusing on theatrical releases. Several departments in the company have been particularly impacted by this shift, but the animation department is one that's been hit the hardest. For instance, Final Space was cancelled in a move that series creator Olan Rogers credited to a tax write-off, while numerous other cartoons were removed from HBO Max's streaming library.
In an Instagram post, Scoob! Holiday Haunt co-writer and producer Tony Cervone wrote a heartfelt post about the completion of the film. Cervone called the completion "bittersweet" and wrote, "I really hope you get a chance to see it somehow. It’s a good one." Cervone also expressed thanks to the cast and crew that worked on the project, including fellow co-writer Paul Dini and directors Bill Haller and Michael Kurinsky. "Every minute with you was a pleasure," Cervone signed off the post.
Cervone's post is not the only social media post about a cancelled project. Batgirl star Ivory Aquino penned a thread to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav that implored the CEO to release the film, but there has been no news on that front since the actress first wrote the thread. Zaslav's focus has shifted to theatrical releases, which may be what doomed both Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, as both films were expected to release exclusively on HBO Max.
This decision is a good illustration of why Zaslav is not so popular with the creatives around Warner Bros. (one anonymous Batgirl actor called the Warner Bros CEO an imbecile). Cervone has long worked with Warner Bros. in their animation department, and the first Scoob! was his directorial debut. He appears to be saddened by the cancellation of what was probably a passion project for him, and by the fact that he put a lot of hard work into a project that won't see the light of day.
It's a bad sign for a creative with a longstanding relationship with Warner Bros. to be repaid in this manner. It means that other artists, writers, and production crews aren't necessarily going to have their work respected by the company moving forward. Zaslav has made it clear that Warner Bros. Discovery is not for sale, however, meaning that the CEO is here to stay.
Source: Tony Cervone/Instagram