'Scream 5' Coming From 'Ready Or Not' Directors
Do you like scary movies? If so, you might be excited to know Scream 5 is on the way from Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, directors of the wonderful Ready or Not. It's unclear if this is going to be a continuation of the existing Scream series or a reboot, but this will be the first Scream movie since 2011's Scream 4, and the 2015 death of Wes Craven.
Discussing Film reported the news, which was confirmed by THR: Scream 5 is in the works with Ready or Not directors Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Kevin Williamson, who wrote most of the original Scream films, is not expected to pen this new incarnation, but he'll likely be involved as an executive producer. THR has no plot details, but the Discussing Film story says the plot will "follow a woman returning to her home town to try to find out who has been committing a series of vicious crimes."
It's unclear at this time if the original trio of leads – Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette – will be back, or if this movie will have an entirely new cast of characters. The first Scream hit theaters in 1996, and became a pop culture phenomenon. Kevin Williamson's script and its witty references to other horror movies helped revive the slasher genre, and spawned a plethora of imitators. Three sequels would follow, culminating with 2011's Scream 4 – which is really good, despite its reputation.
Wes Craven, who directed all four films, died in 2015, which seemed to end the franchise for good. In the meantime, there was also a TV series spin-off, with the first two seasons airing on MTV and being mostly well-received, and the third airing on VH1 and almost entirely maligned. While I'm not exactly sure what you would do with a new Scream in this day and age, having Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett on directing duty is a big plus. Ready or Not was a surprisingly strong blend of horror and comedy, and the same tone of that film would lend itself nicely to the Scream series.