Against the plethora of pandemic setbacks that are shaking the industry today, the team behind the highly anticipated Scream 5 announce they will begin production at the end of the month. Under the brilliant direction of horror icon Wes Craven, the Scream franchise got its start in 1996, bringing about a revival of the previously decaying slasher genre. Since the release of Scream 4 in 2011, there had been rumors of a continuation of the franchise; however, with Craven’s tragic passing in 2015, the sequel’s plans disappeared. Then in 2019, Spyglass Media Group picked up the rights and have been moving the project along ever since.
Initially, the release date for Scream 5 was slated for 2021, but the date was recently pushed back to 2022 in response to the pandemic setbacks that have been drastically affecting the industry. With the delayed release, the press surrounding Scream 5 has been focused on casting decisions and production increasing hype around the film. Ready or Not director team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are set to direct, and Neve Campbell has confirmed that she will return to her cherished role as Sidney Prescott. Even with the delayed release date, the Scream 5 team has maintained its original schedule to kick off production in 2020 and joins the many productions starting production in 2020, including the revival of popular television series Gossip Girl.
In an exclusive with Variety, the Scream 5 team announced they'll begin production before the end of the month in a studio located in Wilmington, North Carolina. Additionally, they announced that rising French-Arab singer, model, and actor, Sonia Ammar, will be joining the cast. Even with pandemic setbacks and a delayed release, this announcement upholds the crew’s original goal kicking off production in 2020.
Although the Scream 5 team has overcome pandemic setbacks to begin production, they will still inevitably face challenges even when they arrive on-set. Recently, the new Batman installment has been able to resume filming after Robert Pattinson contracted COVID-19 on-set, which resulted in only a few weeks interruption. More and more productions have been returning to set this month; however, the threat of further delays from an outbreak still haunts them. Scream 5 will need to invest in safety protocols if they hope to avoid postponing the production any further.
Although starting production this month will undoubtedly be a challenge, the cast and crew’s commitment to the beloved Scream franchise will, without a doubt, result in a positive outcome for fans. Against all the setbacks the team has faced, they have overcome each one demonstrating their promise of a successful project, which should also breed a positive environment of creativity and community on-set. In Craven’s sad absence, David Arquette, Courtney Cox, and Campbell’s return to their respective roles will hopefully uphold the franchise’s essence. A lot is uncertain about what the film will look like currently, but it’s safe to say that Scream 5 will feature Ghostface’s return, bringing blood and gore to the big-screen once again.
Source: Variety