The Scream saga could be the keystone of teenage horror films of the last decades. A mix of horror and mystery but with a dosage of humor, yet not becoming a parody; a slasher film where the intrigue takes more protagonism than horrifying deaths, a perfect gateway for younger eager fans to enter into the kingdom of horror. Almost a decade past since the last entry of the film franchise, Scream 4 (2011), and the final directed by the saga’s director Wes Craven who passed in 2015.
Although the Scream world is still in motion with the spin-off Scream: The TV Series (2015– ), the fans of the saga have been claiming for a new movie for the last decade. And since it was announced, the doubt is which one of the characters is going to return to reprise their roles? David Arquette has been the first one to step into the ship of the fifth installment. He publicly expressed his interest in being in the new movie, and now his participation has officially been confirmed. That is good news, not only because his role of Dewey Riley is a fan favorite, but also because that ensures some sort of continuation of the events depicted in the previous 4 films being the new Scream movie a sequel and not a reboot filled up with new characters. His cast partner Neve Campbell is also in talks to reprise her role of Sidney Prescott, perhaps the most recognizable face in the entire saga. And, now, will Courteney Cox join her castmates to be Gale Weathers one last time?
Wes Craven was already one of the most popular directors in the horror genre when he created the Scream franchise. With titles who became classics on his like The Last House on the Left (1972), The Hills Have Eyes (1977), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and Shocker (1989), he joined forces with writer Kevin Williamson, who later wrote other teen horror fan favorites like I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), The Faculty (1998) and Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999). The pair gave shape to that little movie entitled Scream (1996). Inspired by the real-life case of the Gainesville Ripper, the movie centered Sydney, a teenage girl who is terrorized by a masked killer, who targets her girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game. The story continued along the sequels Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), and Scream 4 (2011), where different murderers have been in the skin of the Ghostface Killer chasing Sydney and whoever is around her. All 4 films were directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson except for Scream 3 (2000), that used the screenplay provided by Ehren Kruger, the writer of Arlington Road (1999) and The Ring (2002).
The fifth installment of the saga, with the working title of Scream 5, is already in the state of pre-production and is expected to come out the next year 2011. Principal photography will begin later this year in Wilmington, North Carolina. It will follow a woman returning to her home town to try to find out who has been committing a series of vicious crimes. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the duo responsible for Ready or Not (2019), have been designated to direct the upcoming sequel. The screenplay has been written by Guy Busick, writer of some episodes of TV series Castle Rock (2018– ) and Stan Against Evil (2016–2018), and James Vanderbilt, the man behind the texts for several blockbusters including Zodiac (2007), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), White House Down (2013), and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). The original writer Kevin Williamson will serve as the executive producer.
Star David Arquette expressed, “I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new. Scream has been such a big part of my life, and for both the fans and myself, I look forward to honoring Wes Craven’s legacy”. Co-writer James Vanderbilt also stated “just the fact that we get to sit in a room with Kevin Williamson and talk about a new Scream movie is a dream come true for me. For years I’ve wanted to see a new Scream movie, and now we get to help make one. We want this to be a love letter to the movies Wes [Craven] and Kevin [Williamson] created together and to the fans”.
