David Arquette is officially returning for the now-confirmed Scream 5. For years, there've been rumors of a fifth Scream movie happening, even after Wes Craven (the director of the first four installments in the meta slasher horror franchise) passed away in 2015. Finally, the project took a big step forward back in March, after the news broke that Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett - the directors of last year's acclaimed horror-comedy-thriller Ready or Not - are attached to oversee a new entry in the series.
Since then, Neve Campbell has confirmed she's held conversations about returning as series lead Sidney Prescott in Scream 5, suggesting the film won't be a hard reboot of the franchise (as some fans speculated it would be). And while her own involvement remains up in the air for the time being, we can now confirm at least one other original Scream actor is coming back for this new movie.
Arquette is now set to reprise his role as Dewey Riley from the first four films in Scream 5, with production aiming to get underway later this year in North Carolina (once Hollywood's post-coronavirus pandemic safety protocols are in place). You can read Arquette's statement about the news below (via THR):
I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new. Scream has been such a big part of my life, and for both the fans and myself, I look forward to honoring Wes Craven’s legacy.
Story details, as mentioned, are vague, but between Campbell being in talks and Arquette's comment about reuniting with "my Scream family, old and new," it sounds like Scream 5 will bring back other characters who survived the earlier films, in addition to Dewey and (maybe) Sidney. Of course, he could also be talking about the people behind the camera, what with Scream 1, 2, and 4 writer Kevin Williamson returning as an executive producer on Scream 5. Williamson's passing writing duties off to James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Murder Mystery) and Guy Busick (Ready or Not) for this film, though Radio Silence - which is what Bettinelli-Olpin, Gillett, and producer Chad Villella call themselves - promise their script will do "justice" by the legacy established by Carven and Williamson's previous entries.
After their efforts on last year's subversive and highly entertaining Ready or Not, it'll be interesting to see if Radio Silence can find a way to put a fresh spin on the Scream property. A lot of people are wary of the idea of making Scream 5 without Craven involved, and even the previous attempt to partially reboot the franchise with Scream 4 (which Craven did direct) led to a division of opinions within the general Scream fanbase. But however Scream 5 turns out, it's good to hear Woodsboro's good-natured deputy-turned sheriff Riley will be along for the ride and doing his best to stop the latest masked killer(s) in town.
Source: THR