Samara Weaving, widely recognized for her performance in 2019's Ready Or Not, was almost cast in the upcoming Scream 5. The fifth installment of the Scream franchise is due out in 2021, and it set to continue the legacy of Woodsboro-teen-turned-hero Sidney Prescott. David Arquette and Courteney Cox are confirmed to return to their roles as Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers, respectively, while Neve Campbell is in talks to appear as Sidney Prescott, though her return has yet to be confirmed. This week, Melissa Barrera was cast as the first new character in the film.
Scream 5 marks the first film in the franchise not to be directed by the legendary horror auteur Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015. Instead, the movie will be helmed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who also rose to prominence last year for directing Ready Or Not. Their experience working with Weaving was positive, so positive that they wanted her to appear in Scream 5.
In an interview with Collider, Weaving stated that she would have been in the film, but they were unable to make their schedules work together. She said, "We talked about it a lot, but unfortunately, because of scheduling, I couldn’t do it," citing the filming of her Hulu miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers as an obstacle. The miniseries films in Weaving's native Australia, and, as she says, "Traveling is very difficult these days." Weaving also took the opportunity to offer praise to the team of Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, stating they are "just incredible. They’re so collaborative, and they’re really open-minded, both with producers and also with their actors and writers. They’re really respectful. I think that they’re gonna be really, really huge.” Even though it is disappointing that Weaving could not appear in Scream 5, her relationship with the team seems to be nothing but the best.
Weaving herself has had quite a year. Ready Or Not and her performance, in particular, were well received. Weaving went on the feature in Ryan Murphy's Hollywood on Netflix and is working on Nine Perfect Strangers alongside acclaimed actors Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, and Michael Shannon. She is also set to appear in the upcoming Bill And Ted Face The Music as Thea Preston, Bill's daughter. She has also appeared in Guns Akimbo and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The amount of high-profile roles Weaving has attracted in such a short amount of time points to a star on the rise and one of the most promising young talents in Hollywood.
Though it may be disappointing that weaving will not be able to appear in Scream 5, the fact that she has such a good working relationship with the team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett is promising. The directors helped to elevate Ready Or Not beyond a typical horror movie into something with wit and intelligence without sparing on thrills. If Scream 5 is anything like the other four, it is safe to say it will make use of that same formula. Weaving, Bettinelli-Olpin, and Gillett can't work together on Scream 5, but hopefully, they can again in the future; maybe, even for Scream 6.
Source: Collider