Well, this certainly felt inevitable. We wrote as much when both Courteney Cox and David Arquette were confirmed for the fifth feature installment in the Scream universe—you can’t exactly stop there if you’re going to make a new Scream movie. After all, it’s not Scream without Neve Campbell and the ultimate final girl, Sidney Prescott.
And now, Campbell has come along and made it official—she’s back in the saddle for another Scream, nine years after Wes Craven seemingly brought the series full circle in Scream 4. It’s a very valid question to ask what remains to be done in the series at this point—past Scream films have already satirized the conventions of various horror sequels, and Scream 4 was already satirizing Hollywood reboots. What’s this, a satire of reboots of reboots? These are the questions that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of filmmaking group Radio Silence (Ready or Not) will have to figure out. The screenplay, meanwhile, is by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) and Guy Busick (Ready or Not), with original Scream writer Kevin Williamson serving as an executive producer. The film is planning to shoot in Wilmington, NC for a Jan. 14, 2022 release. Of course, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that date change, given all of the uncertainty revolving around the still-active pandemic.
Said Radio Silence, on the opportunity to pit Sidney Prescott against Ghostface once again: “We’re pinching ourselves! It’s hard to express how much the character Sidney Prescott shaped our love of movies and to have the chance to work with Neve is truly a dream come true. It just wouldn’t be a Scream movie without Neve and we’re so excited and honored to join her in Woodsboro.”
And Campbell has a statement to offer up as well: “After spending time speaking with Radio Silence, they have shown such love, respect and admiration for Wes Craven and all that he’s created in the Scream franchise. I am beyond excited to step back into the role of Sidney Prescott and return to Woodsboro.”
That’s all well and good, but we’re warning you right now—if you make Sidney into one of the killers behind the Ghostface mask in this movie, we riot. Let’s hope the writers can resist the allure of that particularly cheap reveal.