One of the most iconic horror film franchises is getting its first new installment since 2011. Multiple outlets report that a Scream reboot is in the works from
Below, everything else we know about the new installment, including where Neve Campbell stands on returning.
Courteney Cox will reprise her role as reporter Gale Weathers.
The Hollywood Reporterannounced on July 31 that Cox will reprise her iconic horror film role. She's the second original star to return to the series, following her ex-husband and co-star David Arquette. Cox played intrepid journalist Gale Weathers in all four of the previous films. Production company Radio Silence told Deadline, first to report the casting, in a statement: “We can’t imagine Scream without the iconic Gale Weathers and are so incredibly thrilled and humbled to have the opportunity to work with Courteney. We’re absolute mega fans of her work and we’re so excited to join her in the next chapter of the Scream saga!” Cox herself confirmed her involvement on Instagram.
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David Arquette will reprise his role in the horror franchise.
Arquette, who played Sheriff Dewey Riley in all four of the original Scream films, is the first OG cast member to sign on. “I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new,” Arquette said in a statement, via Variety. “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.”
Melissa Barrera joins the cast.
After Cox and Arquette signed on, Scream 5 secured its first new cast member, per Deadline. Melissa Barrera (In the Heights, Vida) has joined the movie in an unspecified role. It will be her first major project since the release of In the Heights was pushed back a year following the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will be the first Scream film without filmmaker Wes Craven.
This reboot will be a reset for the franchise in more ways than one. The movie will be the first in the series that doesn't involve Craven, who died in 2015 at the age of 76. He directed all four films in the original franchise (released in 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2011). Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett will helm the reboot with a script by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) and Guy Busick (Ready or Not).Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter behind the $600 million franchise, will executive produce the new iteration.
“I’m excited to reteam with David and work with Jamie, Guy and Radio Silence on the next Scream,” Williamson said in a statement, via Deadline. “Their take on the movie is both original, inventive and honors Wes’ legacy in a wonderful way. Ready or Not was my favorite horror film of last year and I can’t wait to see what their amazing talents bring to the Scream universe. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
Project X Entertainment’s Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein and William Sherak are producing the movie. Radio Silence’s Chad Villella will also serve as an executive producer alongside Williamson.
Filming on the secretive project is expected to begin later this year.
Plot details for the reboot aren't being disclosed quite yet. But Spyglass Media Group said that shooting is expected to start later this year in Wilmington, North Carolina when safety measures are in place. Spyglass said they are reaching out to other cast members from the original films, which starred Arquette, Cox, and Neve Campbell, among others. Deadlinereported that filming is still slated to begin this fall and finish by the end of 2020.
Neve Campbell is "starting negotiations" to join the reboot.
The first four films in the Scream universe center around Campbell's Sidney Prescott, the original target of the Ghostface killer. Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporterconfirmed that the reboot's directors had reached out to Campbell about reprising her role. "I definitely had a period where I was thinking it would just be too odd to do a movie without Wes, and I wasn’t certain that I would want to do that," Campbell told the outlet at the time. "But, I think enough time has passed. I got this really, really respectful letter from the directors of the new one. They wrote a letter honoring Wes in such a beautiful way, and they expressed that the reason they make horror movies is because of Wes and the Scream films. They also expressed how blown away they are at the idea of actually getting an opportunity to make one of them and how much they want to honor and respect Wes’ vision…So, we’ll see."
The actress also confirmed to Entertainment Tonightthat talks with the directors were ongoing. "I wasn't sure it was going to happen and I was approached six weeks ago, but the timing's not great right now, obviously," she explained. "We're starting conversations, we're starting negotiations, but who knows how and when studios are going to open again."
