It's not often that a major horror franchise has the same director at the helm for each installment, but Wes Craven brought all four films in the SCREAM series to life. Unfortunately, Craven passed away in 2015 due to a brain tumour, seemingly putting an end to the franchise, but a fifth installment is in the works from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (READY OR NOT).
A few familiar faces will be returning for the fifth SCREAM film, including David Arquette and Courteney Cox, who will reprise their roles of Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers, respectively. Arquette spoke on the Corpse Club podcast recently to say that even though Wes Craven is no longer with us, he hopes that the new film will be a healing experience.
I talked to the directors and they were huge Wes fans. He’s been a huge inspiration for them their whole career. So, they have their hearts in the right place, they want to do something that he’d be proud of. And then the fact that Courteney’s coming back and hopefully Neve comes back as well — there’s something healing about that, for us to be able to carry on these films that he’s done, and just keep telling stories. I mean, he was an incredible storyteller, but beyond that, he was just one of the greatest humans that I’ve ever met in my life. He was so supportive, he was incredibly smart, soft spoken, he was a bird watcher, which is so funny to learn, he loved music and was really supportive… I miss him a lot. It will be hard and we’ll think about him a lot. But it will also feel good just to be back in his world that he created.
Although I remain unconvinced that we need another SCREAM film, particularly without Wes Craven, I'm keeping an open mind about this new installment. As David Arquette mentioned, it's hoped that Neve Campbell will also return as Sidney Prescott, and although nothing is official, the actress revealed earlier this year that she has been talking with the directors about the project. "I originally had been really apprehensive about doing another Scream without Wes because he was such a genius and he is the reason they are what they are," Campbell said, "but the directors have come to me with such a great appreciation for Wes’s work and they really want to honor it and that meant a lot to me. Hopefully we’ll be able to do it." In addition to Arquette and Cox, the project will also star Melissa Barrera (IN THE HEIGHTS) and Jenna Ortega (You).