Scream creator, Kevin Williamson, has revealed that he has a role in the upcoming fifth installment of the popular slasher horror franchise. After being part of Scream for 25 years, Williamson’s name is well known among horror fans. His script for the first entry in the series, which took place in 1996, was the first feature film he had produced. Paired with beloved filmmaker Wes Craven, Williamson’s script helped give slasher horror new life.

Though Williamson didn’t write the script for 2000’s Scream 3, he’s been the screenwriter for every other past entry in the franchise. The upcoming fifth installment, simply entitled Scream was also not written by Williamson, though he did work closely with writers Guy Busick and Jeremy Vanderbilt, leaving Busick to later point out what an experience it was. Williamson is also acting as executive producer on the new film, ensuring that part of the team that brought the series to life (Craven passed away in 2017), is still around to help keep things familiar. To date, the new Scream entry hasn’t given much away at all with regard to what the film’s plot will be, and even the cast isn’t completely known to fans yet.

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In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Williamson spoke at length about his experiences with Scream 2022 directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and how they asked him to appear in the film. Initially skeptical about the idea, Williamson eventually came around, and fans will be delighted to know that the 56-year-old will indeed be making an appearance in Scream. As Williamson explained his shift from refusal to agreement:

More to the latter, because I was very nervous about it. I was like, "How should I feel about this? They're making a new one." And they called me up and asked me to be a part of it. And I was like, "Hmm, I don't want one foot in. That could just hurt." And so I said no. Then I got a call from [writer] Jamie Vanderbilt and he was so in love with Scream 1, he was so in love with the franchise, he spoke from such a personal place. And then I met [directors] Radio Silence who made Ready or Not, which is like my favorite part of a bad year, and I just fell in love with them. They just had such heart, they put so much care into it. They were making it for personal reasons.

It felt good. It felt like it was in great hands and they're so talented. I was just there whenever they needed me and they kept me a part of it along the way. It just became a very special experience, so I was very happy. But it was a passing of the torch. I'm excited to see what other people think about it because I know the experience was blessed and awesome. I think Wes would be very happy and I think he would love these guys a lot because they speak his language. I just had a really great time. It was a lot of fun. Scream 1 had that heart and soul and we had such a blast making it and I felt they captured that.

Scream's Kevin Williamson header

Fans will know that this isn’t Williamson’s first appearance in one of the Scream films, having appeared in a brief news segment as a reporter interviewing the previously framed Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber) in Scream 2. It currently isn’t clear exactly what sort of role Williamson will take on in the new film, but if the Scream lineage is any indication, the role will likely either poke fun at his real-life past work or reference the films in some manner.

For those who were disappointed that Williamson wasn’t writing this latest entry in the Scream franchise, getting to see the writer make an appearance is a form of consolation. Hopefully the film will do justice to everything that’s come before while simultaneously kickstarting a new era for the franchise. Judging by Williamson’s fondness for Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, the film already has everything it needs to succeed.

Next: Scream 5's Title Change Is A Confusing Legacy Sequel Mistake

Source: Comicbook.com

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