Here’s a bit of news that will make my son happy. On March 15, Warner Premiere will begin filming Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster, an all-new, live-action/CG movie follow-up to 2009’s record-setting Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins. The family-targeted feature will premiere on Cartoon Network in fall 2010 and release on DVD through Warner Home Video in early 2011.

Of all the live-action adaptations of cartoons I grew up watching, the Scooby Doo ones have been the best. The concept is perfect for live action and I’ll be interested in checking out this classically titled live-action adventure when it premieres later this year.

Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster continues the Mystery Inc. gang’s adventures from the 2009 hit Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins, which premiered as the most-watched telecast in Cartoon Network history, and set targeted demographic records across the board.  This new film will once again feature the familiar cast of characters in their high school years as they continue to develop and sharpen their combined sleuthing skills.

“After more than 40 years, the Scooby-Doo franchise continues to grow stronger as generations of audiences embrace these timeless characters, and that adoration has been clearly reflected in box office, DVD sales and television ratings,” said Davis.. “These new live-action films, with their contemporary approach, bring excitement and thrills to an altogether new era of Scooby-Doo fans.”

Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster finds the Mystery Inc. gang heading toward summer jobs at a country club owned by Daphne’s uncle, only to stumble onto strange happenings around the local lake – including mystical moonstones, creepy characters and a Frog Monster on the loose. There’s mystery afoot and romance in the air that only the fearful foursome-plus-one – Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo – can solve in this Warner Premiere production. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will distribute the film on Blu-ray, DVD, OnDemand and For Download.

Director Brian Levant, producer Brian Gilbert and writers the Altiere Brothers return from their successful turns at the creative helm of Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins. The Atlas Entertainment production also has the live action cast returning intact with Robbie Amell (True Jackson, VP) as Fred, Kate Melton as Daphne, Hayley Kiyoko as Velma and Nick Palatas as Shaggy. Scooby-Doo will appear via computer-generated animation courtesy of Animation Picture Company.

In conjunction with the start of film production, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Movie Sweepstakes launches March 12, 2010 with a Grand Prize package that includes a trip for four to the set of Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster during filming.  Fans can go to www.ScoobyDooSweeps.com to enter.

An animated creation from the legendary Hanna-Barbera studios, Scooby-Doo celebrated his 40^th anniversary in 2009 and represents one of the longest running, most beloved franchises in cartoon history. Starting with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1969, the awkward, snack-craving Great Dane and his four unique pals have been solving mysteries through 10 televisions series (spanning nearly 300 episodes, with a new series slated for debut in 2011), seven TV specials/telefilms, 14 made-for-video animated films (with No. 15, Scooby-Doo: Camp Scare, arriving in September 2010), and two live action theatrical features (Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed).