Scream 6: Release Date, Cast, And More For The Latest Entry In The Horror Series

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What's your favorite scary movie? The fifth installment of Wes Craven's meta slasher franchise, "Scream," was a delightful surprise for a January horror film. Removing the numerical from the title, 2022's "Scream" was a riff on the "re-quel," the Hollywood trend of rebooting a franchise through a marriage of returning characters and new faces to carry on the torch.

And carry on the torch they must! Controversially, Neve Campbell, the Sidney Prescott "Scream" revolves around, will not be returning for the upcoming sixth film. In her own words, "I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise."

Though we're sad to part ways with Sidney Prescott, and under such unfair circumstances, it will be interesting if "Scream" can hold its weight as it makes the most drastic departure from the franchise yet. Coming soon, here's everything you need to know about the newest installment, "Scream VI." 

If you're dealing with Woodsboro withdrawal, we have good news! "Scream VI," is just about a month away and the hype is in full force. The film will exclusively release in theaters on March 10, 2023. Considering the previous film had a January 14, 2022 release, Paramount Pictures managed to pull off an impressive and relatively quick turn around for the sequel. Fans who have been itching for another self-aware thrill will not have to wait very long to encounter Ghostface once again.

2022's "Scream" had a seemingly definitive end. Dewey (David Arquette) sacrificed himself for the survival of new protagonists Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) Carpenter. Franchise "final girl" Sidney and fierce reporter Gale (Courteney Cox) provided their expertise to help defeat the latest iterations of Ghostface, radicalized Stab fanatics Richie (Jack Quaid) and Amber (Mikey Madison). Gale made a bold decision to not write about her experiences with this latest encounter, making a decision alongside Sidney to end the cycle of violence in Woodsboro.

Plot details on "Scream VI" have been sparse (this is a mystery after all), but we do know that our fresh group of young, Woodsboro survivors are going to be the main focus of the franchise now as they run off to find a new beginning in New York City. Somehow, Ghostface has returned, and his newest hot targets are Sam, Tara and the Meeks-Martin twins, Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown). But, this Ghostface is unlike the others — he's much more violent and bold than ever before. 

Despite the loss we feel for the franchise's most lovable protagonists and suburban setting, there's a lot of potential to take the franchise to new heights with its NYC setting that could certainly pay off in spades. 

Whatever is exactly going on in "Scream VI," Courteney Cox loved the screenplay.

Luckily, if there's one thing 2022's "Scream" succeeded in, it was letting our new characters shine. Pretty much all surviving characters from the latest "Scream" film are returning for the sequel. As we mentioned before, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are inheriting the Prescott mantle as the new protagonists of the franchise as the Carpenter sisters. Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding are also back as the Meek-Martin kids and Courtney Cox is the only remaining original cast member holding down the fort.

Excitingly, Hayden Panettiere is also set to return as her fan-favorite horror junkie character, Kirby. Samara Weaving of "Ready or Not" fame will be working with the director duo again, continuing her status as a new age scream queen. Dermot Mulroney was added to the cast back in June, allegedly playing a cop. According to Deadline, we also have plenty of newcomer talent in Josh Segarra ("Arrow", "The Other Two"), Jack Champion ("The Night Sitter"), Liana Liberato ("The Beach House"), and Devyn Nekoda ("Ginny & Georgia").

Simply put, "Scream VI" is stacked. There's a great blend of legacy characters, sophomores, and brand new faces to juggle.

Known for their breakout horror-comedy, "Ready or Not," director duo Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin brought "Scream" to its newest era. With clear respect towards Wes Craven's work and a clear fascination with meta genre commentary, they were natural fits for the material. 2022's "Scream" was well regarded as a decent return to form when it was released last year. The duo made an entry that was familiar enough to unmistakably be "Scream," but still took bold risks. It had a great confidence in its new cast of characters and maintained its witty and relevant commentary on franchise filmmaking and toxic fandom.

Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin are returning for "Scream VI," with a screenplay penned by Guy Busick ("Ready or Not," "Castle Rock") and James Vanderbilt ("Zodiac").

Though 2022's "Scream" was largely a successful endeavor, there's a lot of hurdles this particular entry has to jump through — the ending of the last film did not leave too much room to build on a sequel as it was. Dealing with the absence of Neve Campbell's Sidney won't be easy. It's not just because of nostalgia, but the entire essence of "Scream" is built on her relationship to Ghostface as a story of a final girl and a constant manifestation of her trauma.

Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin have a thin tightrope to walk as they try to innovate "Scream" for new audiences. Soon enough, we'll see for ourselves if they're successful.

While "Scream VI" has no official rating from the MPAA as of yet, it's safe to assume that just like the rest of the franchise, it will earn a R-rating for "strong bloody violence, language throughout, and some sexual references," you know, typical slasher fare. It's also worth noting that Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillet 2022's "Scream" movie was probably one of the more grizzly ones to date, and this one seems to be aiming for an even more over-the-top tone. The poster for "Scream VI" shows a decayed and weathered Ghostface mask, the trailer showed us a secret liar, and Gillet teased that the kills are going to be unique to NYC setting. Horror junkies, fear not — while you can expect a new take on the franchise, it won't be at the cost of delicious slasher violence.

Thankfully, all five previous films are on just two separate services.If you have a subscription handy, you're in luck. The entire "Scream" franchise is available to stream on Paramount+, with the exception of Wes Craven's last entry, "Scream 4," which is currently streaming on Netflix. If you're itching to binge, act fast! "Scream 4" is leaving Netflix on February 28, 2023, just a little over a week before "Scream VI" releases in theaters.

If streaming is not an option for you, all five films are available to digitally rent or purchase on the usual retailers Amazon, Apple TV, and Google. There's also always the physical media route, with all the films available on Blu-ray and DVD. Some of them even have 4K UHD releases!

Here is the official synopsis from Paramount Pictures:

Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter. In Scream VI, Melissa Barrera ("Sam Carpenter"), Jasmin Savoy Brown ("Mindy Meeks-Martin"), Mason Gooding ("Chad Meeks-Martin"), Jenna Ortega ("Tara Carpenter"), Hayden Panettiere ("Kirby Reed") and Courteney Cox ("Gale Weathers") return to their roles in the franchise alongside Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving.

Hungry for more details? Be sure to read our trailer breakdown!