Neve Campbell agreed to return for Scream 5 after the directors of the latest installment reached out to her. After Wes Craven's death in 2015, the future of the franchise was uncertain. Scream 4 came out in 2011, reviving the franchise for a new generation. With screenwriter Kevin Williamson continuing on after the death of Craven, the franchise is still in the hands of its original collaborators. It was announced that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gilpin (Ready or Not) would be helming the sequel, and Scream 5 is currently set for a 2022 release date.
Campbell's casting was announced after Courtney Cox and David Arquette had already decided to come back. The franchise alums will join a slew of newcomers to the franchise. The cast includes Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why), Jack Quaid (The Boys), Jenna Ortega, and Jasmine Savoy Brown, giving Ghostface a cast of formidable young actors to continue his murderous streak. That being said, many fans are most excited about seeing Campbell's Sidney return to the franchise.
In a conversation with her castmates from the original film during a virtual reunion (via ComicBook), Campbell revealed why she decided to come back for the sequel. Campbell had expressed reticence to return without Craven in the director's chair, but she was ultimately persuaded by Olpin and Gilpin. The duo wrote a letter to Campbell during negotiations expressing their intentions with the franchise and it was their dedication to Craven's vision that convinced her:
I had been really apprehensive about doing one of these films without Wes. The directors actually sent me a letter when the offer was sent and said the reason they are directors is because of Wes. So they’re even so honored to even be asked to make this film, and that they’re such huge fans of him and the films themselves, and of the cast, and that they really wanted to honor his voice, which I really, really believe they did.
With all four films having been helmed by Wes Craven, the future of the franchise hinged on whoever would be directing the sequel. The Scream films changed the horror landscape upon their release, but since then, the horror genre has changed even more. It is a highly bankable genre and one that is experiencing a renaissance of sorts over the last decade. The Scream franchise has always been apart of this conversation and is also cited as one of the early indicators of the horror genre's flexibility.
Ready or Not is similar to the Scream franchise in that it has a dark sense of humor and it acknowledges certain tropes in horror, either as a wink to the audience or a knowingness on the character's part. This self-awareness is key to the Scream franchise, making Olpin and Gilpin the perfect directors for the film. It's also reassuring that they are so dedicated to Craven's vision and cite him as on of their inspirations. Many fans have also expressed hesitation when it comes to reviving the franchise, so to have it in the hands of two directors who want to honor Craven's legacy is encouraging. With Scream 5 also set to bring back the core cast of the original, all signs point to an effective and exciting film, one that could set the stage for a new series of films.
Source: Scream Virtual Reunion (via ComicBook)