Netflix’s live-action Scooby-Doo series casts role of queer fav Daphne

Netflix has begun casting for its upcoming live-action Scooby-Doo remake, and the role of gay icon Daphne Blake has reportedly been filled.

Everyone’s favourite purple-clad detective diva Daphne is set to be played by The Haunting of Hill House actress McKenna Grace, according to multiple reports.

The eight-part live-action series was confirmed by Netflix in 2025, and is set to be a modern reimagination of the cherished mystery series.

An official synopsis for the new series suggests it will go back to the very beginning of how Mystery Inc. came to be.

“During their final summer at camp, old friends Shaggy and Daphne get embroiled in a haunting mystery surrounding a lonely lost Great Dane puppy that may have been a witness to a supernatural murder,” the synopsis reads.

“Together with the pragmatic and scientific townie, Velma, and the strange, but ever so handsome new kid, Freddy, they set out to solve the case that is pulling each of them into a creepy nightmare that threatens to expose all of their secrets.”

Grace is the first name to be attached to the project. Following the series announcement last year, PinkNews suggested several stars who would be best suited to play the canonically queer, bespectacled babe Velma Dinkley.

Daphne Blake has long been regarded as a gay icon, particularly thanks to Sarah Michelle Gellar’s fierce portrayal of the martial arts maven in the live-action 2002 film Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

Much like Velma, Daphne is also considered something of a surprising sapphic awakening for many millennial queer women.

It’s not the first time that McKenna Grace has played Daphne Blake. She voiced the character in the animated 2020 film Scoob! and was due to reprise the role in the film’s festive prequel Scoob! Holiday Haunt, but the movie was shelved.

In addition to The Haunting of Hill House, former child star McKenna Grace is best known for her roles in TV shows Fuller House, Crash & Bernstein and Young Sheldon. She was nominated for an Emmy Award thanks to her portrayal of Esther Keyes in The Handmaid’s Tale.

She has also starred in films including Gifted, I, Tonya and Captain Marvel, and is set to appear in the new Scream film, Scream 7.

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