The Scream film franchise has gone on hiatus a couple times. The original idea was for the series to be a trilogy, so there was an eleven year gap between Scream 3 and Scream 4. When Scream 4 didn’t light the box office on fire, the franchise shifted over to television – but eleven years later, it went back to the big screen with the release of last year’s Scream. Now Scream 6 is set to reach theatres on March 10th, and the film’s directors are hoping to see Ghostface continue slashing up the screen for Scream 7 and beyond.
Speaking with Deadline at the film’s premiere, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – the directors of both Scream 2022 and Scream 6 – said “We hope (there will be a Scream 7). We want to be watching Scream movies, whether we’re involved or not, for the rest of our lives.“
Of course, the number and frequency of sequels will depend on the box office (assuming Scream won’t run into rights issues like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street have). Tracking indicates that Scream 6 might achieve the biggest opening weekend of the entire franchise.
Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett directed Scream 6 from a screenplay by Scream 2022 writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. This one will show us what happens when the four survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.
Those four survivors are the returning Scream 2022 characters played by Melissa Barrera (as Samantha Carpenter), Jenna Ortega (as Samantha’s sister Tara Carpenter), Mason Gooding (as Mindy’s brother Chad Meeks-Martin), and Jasmin Savoy Brown (as Mindy Meeks-Martin). They’re seeking to start a fresh chapter in New York City… but while the story is set in New York, the movie was filmed in Montreal.
Also in the cast are franchise regular Courteney Cox (as Gale Weathers), Scream 4 star Hayden Panettiere (as Kirby Reed), and new additions Dermot Mulroney as Detective Bailey, Samara Weaving as Laura, Tony Revolori as Jason, Liana Liberato as Quinn, Josh Segarra as Danny, Jack Champion as Ethan, and Devyn Nekoda as Anika. Henry Czerny is also in there, playing an unspecified role.
Notably missing is Neve Campbell, who was asked to reprise the role of franchise heroine Sidney Prescott in Scream 6, but passed on it due to a pay dispute.
Vanderbilt is producing Scream 6 with Paul Neinstein and William Sherak for Project X Entertainment. Original Scream screenwriter Kevin Willamson serves as executive producer alongside Chad Villella, Ron Lynch, Cathy Konrad, Marianne Maddalena, and Spyglass’s Gary Barber and Peter Oillataguerre.
Will you be watching Scream 6 this weekend, and are you already hoping for a Scream 7? Let us know by leaving a comment below.