James Gunn’s a household name now thanks to his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and his upcoming role shepherding the new DC Universe. However, one of his most underrated gems of the 2000s was his scripts for Scooby-Doo and its sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. The first film in particular was very ahead of its time in terms of its edgier humorous style and brilliant parody of its source material.

Since its release in 2002 there have been many behind-the-scenes stories about the film and what didn’t make it in the final product. Now Daphne herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, revealed many of the queer moments were cut from the film, including a kiss shared between Daphne and fellow Mystery Inc. member Velma.

Gellar revealed on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, “There was a steamy kiss. It got cut. There was an actual kiss between Daphne and Velma that got cut.” She added, “I feel like the world wants to see it. I don’t know where it is.” However, that wasn’t the only risqué moment cut from the film as Gellar also said a gay joke geared towards Fred was removed from the final edit. “There was a great line too that I’ll never forget,” Gellar said and continued on, “Daphne and Fred were having a fight and I yell at him, ‘That ascot makes you look gay!’ I slam the door [at him]. They cut that, too.” She would go on to explain, “ I think that was the reason I signed onto the movie. It’s something everyone’s thought for a long time. There’s always been an implication about Fred being interested in both parties. It all got cut.”

Cast of Scooby Doo

RELATED: The Third Live-Action 'Scooby-Doo' Movie We Never Got

The Complicated Queer History of 'Scooby-Doo'

These new comments from Gellar make a lot of sense given what Gunn has said about the film in the past. In 2020 Gunn revealed on Twitter that Velma was “explicitly gay” in his original script. “In 2001, Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script,” Gunn specifically said at the time and explained, “But the studio just kept watering it down and watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) and finally having a boyfriend (the sequel).” Even in the final PG product we got it wasn’t hard to tell, with adult eyes, that this film was intended to be a lot more… well adult in its themes and story. Even with that 2002 PG rating, a lot of innuendo filled jokes made in that film wouldn’t fly in today's movie landscape. For insist, does anyone remember the moment where Fred looks down Daphne's shirt, while in her body, uttering the famous lines, “I can look at myself naked”? Even the deleted scenes that were included on the original DVD and Blu-ray release of the film, one that particularly of Velma singing on top of a piano, would raise a lot of eyebrows if you were a parent.

Thankfully with the vast improvements with LGBTQ+ representation in the entertainment industry in the 20 years since Scooby-Doo’s release, the franchise has come full circle. Velma becoming a gay icon became a reality in the 2022 animated film Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!. The subplot of that delightful film saw Velma falling in love with the female villain of the story Coco Diablo. This was something Linda Cardellini, Velma in the 2002 film, praised. Also, in Velma’s new self-titled HBO Max series the famous mystery solver is queer. The Velma-Daphne kiss Gellar talked about became a reality in this hard-R animated series.

Gunn's 'Scooby-Doo' Films Desperately Need a New Blu-ray Release

Even though the two theatrical Scooby-Doo films are beloved by most people in their late 20s and early 30s, their physical media releases have been less than stellar. These films desperately need a new Blu-ray release. Even more so given Gellar’s comments about these scenes being shot. Monsters Unleashed doesn’t even have an individual Blu-ray as it was only released on a one disc double pack with the first film. That’s been out of print for years. Scooby-Doo is such an iconic and popular franchise. Fans are dying for new physical media releases and, since Warner Brothers is diving deep into their historic back catalog for their 100th anniversary, Scooby-Doo fans might get this wish granted in 2023.

While we wait for a potential new Blu-ray release and the possibility of a Scooby-Doo 3 legacy sequel, you can view Scooby-Doo’s trailer down below. Both live-action films are streaming on HBO Max.