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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
The rules and standards of the slasher-horror genre were redefined by the late Wes Craven’s Scream franchise in the late-1990s, and along with an MTV reboot and a VH1 attempt of retelling a story of Ghostface, a fifth film is being in the works.
We get our news from Rotten Tomatoes, who interviewed lead actress Neve Campbell during the press release of her newest film, Canadian-American drama Castle in the Ground. She confirms she is in negotiations to return to the film franchise as protagonist Sidney Prescott. She states:
We’re having conversations – I have been approached about it. The timing’s a bit challenging because of COVID[-19]. You know, we only started the conversation maybe a month and a half ago, so it’s going to take some time to figure out how it’s all going to work out…. We’re negotiating, so we’ll see … I’m so grateful for these films… I love Sidney Prescott. It’s always fun for me to step back in her shoes, and it’s always fun for me to see the cast come back and make one of these films again and try to make another good one.
Rotten Tomatoes also report that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — whose latest film was last August’s Ready or Not — will be helming the fifth film after penning a poignant letter addressing Craven. (In late-summer 2015, the horror filmmaker had passed two days prior to the Season 1 finale of the Scream television series on MTV, of which he served as executive producer.) Campbell says:
The two directors wrote me a very touching letter about Wes Craven and how he was such an inspiration to them and how they really want to honor him, and that meant a great, great deal to me. So we’ll see. Hopefully, we can all see eye to eye on the project and find a way to make it.
Since the release of Scream 4 in 2011, there were discussions of a possible fifth film, but the resulting decisions brought Ghostface to the small screens on MTV from 2015-2016 with a fresh new plot, along with a third season (and a newer story than that of the prior two seasons) on VH1 last summer. In a 2013 interview with Collider, Campbell previously expressed doubt about the emergence of a fifth film.
Rotten Tomatoes say that actor, filmmaker, and producer Kevin Williamson may return as executive producer, having helped Craven co-create the film franchise, whose rights are currently in Spyglass Media Group‘s hands. The production company had some credits to some horror films such as The Sixth Sense, Stay Alive, The Ruins, and The Happening; and it is currently working bringing Hellraiser back to the big screen.
In a December interview with Movieweb, actor David Arquette expressed interest in returning to the franchise as well but has not been contacted. Of the late horror filmmaker, his works, and potential future of Scream‘s characters, he says:
My phone has not rang and I know nothing … I know just like you that they’re working on a script … It would be exciting to be a part of it. It’ll be sad that Wes [Craven] isn’t there but I would love to see his legacy continue and the great projects and films that he was a part of an afterlife, and continue what he started. I would love to see more Nightmare on Elm Streets. I’d love to see more Screams. I just think he’s such an incredibly talented and amazing person. I’m so honored that I had gotten to work with him … There was a lot of interesting stuff that we were pitching to Wes [Craven] for Scream 4 that didn’t really happen. Even, in one of the earlier drafts, [my character Dewey and Gale] had a kid, which was interesting. Because, obviously me and my ex Courtney [Cox] actually had a kid and we met on the Scream films. So it was kind of a fun parallel. I don’t know if they would still be together, or if they wouldn’t. I always liked the dynamic of them, sort of the cat and mouse, Sam and Diane aspect of their relationship was always fun for me. Whatever it is, I’d love to see it have some stakes to it, where it’s palpable. Just play with the love element. I think that was fun about the first one especially. You could see the spark in their eyes and a budding relationship. To go back to that would be fun.
There has been a huge roster of revolutionary horror films since Scream 4, so perhaps it’s time to update the rules of the entire genre; while the fourth film promised a great ending to Sidney Prescott’s story, there are still so many terrifying stories and outstanding performances to critique. The franchise’s films and television series offered interesting plots and invested in talented casts, so whatever the new plan it, there are high hopes that it a fifth film will make the Master of Horror proud.
Neve Campbell stars in director Joey Klein’s Castle in the Ground alongside Alex Wolff (The Naked Brothers Band, Hereditary, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level) and Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later); the film will release in the United States and in Canada next week on May 15th.
What do you think? Are you excited about this? Are you a fan of this genre? Let us know! For more horror-related news and reviews follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_).
Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Collider, Movieweb
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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