Fans of Sidney Prescott, Deputy Dewey, Gale Weathers and Ghostface unite: We have your first look at the fifth installment of the SCREAM franchise today courtesy of the creator of the series, Kevin Williamson, who today gives us a peek at the new movie's title and logo – yes, the title is SCREAM – as well as some images from behind the scenes. The film just wrapped production in North Carolina and features returning cast members Neve Campell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette – referred to as the "legacy cast" – as well as newcomers Jack Quaid, Kyle Gallner, Mikey Madison, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega and Dylan Minnette.
We have a bit of a wait until SCREAM arrives: it's scheduled to hit theaters in January 2022. That's a long time from now, but hopefully these images will satiate you for the time being. In addition, we can report that we were invited to a virtual set visit back in October, where we had an opportunity to talk to several key cast members, as well as filmmakers Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (READY OR NOT, DEVIL'S DUE) and executive producer Chad Villella (READY OR NOT) and producer William Sherak (SUSPIRIA). While we can't share much from that day just yet, we can relay some quotes from the filmmakers about their passion and excitement for the series and this brand new installment.
Working off a screenplay by Guy Busick (READY OR NOT) and Jamie Vanderbilt (ZODIAC), Gillet, Bettinelli-Olpin, and Villella – collectively known as Radio Silence – know expectations are high for this new take on the franchise, especially considering it will be the first entry not directed by Wes Craven. But as they tell it, they wouldn't be here if it weren't for the original SCREAM movies; they hope fans know Ghostface and the gang are in good hands.
"Everything we know and understand about this tone, we learned from Kevin and Wes," says Gillett. "That's not hyperbole in any way, shape, or form, they taught us everything we know and everything we love about this tonal tightrope of making something that's scary and funny and emotional and meaningful and thematically rich. It feels like they make it seem effortless, Kevin and Wes."
"There would be no Ready or Not without Scream," adds Bettinelli-Olpin.
Producer William Sherak says the successful blending of horror and comedy in READY OR NOT was crucial in not only hiring Radio Silence for the SCREAM gig, but in getting the original cast members on board as well. "Hitting that tone as well as they hit it was really a positive for us as we went out to the legacy cast… They had the material that said, 'We can straddle a tone where something can be truly scary and still have fun with it,' and there aren't a ton of filmmakers out there who have done that, tried to do it, or have done it successfully… That helped significantly with the legacy cast to be able to say, 'Okay, if I'm going to come back in with somebody that isn't Wes, they have the chops to do it.'"
While they hope to defy some expectations with their take on SCREAM, the filmmakers want to assure fans that they'll be giving them exactly what they want. "If you are a fan of the franchise, there is so much you're going to love about this," says Gillett. "And if you are new to the Scream universe, you will fall in love with it in a way we fell in love with the first movie. Guy and Jamie struck a perfect balance of homage and originality, and it's why we're here, we really loved what was on the page and are honored to get to translate it."
As for where we find the fan-favorite characters of Sidney, Dewey and Gale, well… obviously the filmmakers can't tell us much. (In fact, they told us literally nothing about the plot, as was expected.) But they clearly think old and new fans will be pleased. "The fans that are interested in the story of the legacy characters, they're going to fall in love with the work that they do in this," says Gillett. "It's really thoughtful and amazing. For us, your mind spins a yarn on what the lives of those characters could be after the fourth installment, and we were all so pleasantly surprised when we read the script. Who they are, and how they're handled, we think the audience is going to be really, really surprised and really, really happy."
As for Kevin Williamson's involvement, he is an executive producer on the film and, while not technically one of the writers, his blessings were always sought after. "The first thing we did when Gary Barber relaunched the franchise was go out to Kevin and get him into the process," says Sherak. "It's not about a once-over, it's about without Wes around, he's our true north, and his approval means everything. Let's be clear, he's the reason we're all here… Making sure we're doing it right for Wes and for the fans and for a new group of fans, so he's been that true north that made sure we stayed on course… When he was pitched the original idea, he gave us his thoughts on the pitch and that's what we went and did, so everybody's been pointing in that direction from the very beginning. When Radio Silence read the script, they agreed with that version of the movie. It's rare, but we're in that luxurious place where everybody was going to make the same film the whole time."
SCREAM won't open in theaters for over a year at the time of this writing, but in the meantime you should keep an eye out for more pieces from our virtual chat with the cast and filmmakers in the coming months. SCREAM is set to open JANUARY 14th, 2022.