Last Updated: March 15, 2020
It's the franchise that helped re-energize the horror genre in the late 1990s, but will Scream 5 happen? The first movie was originally titled Scary Movie - which later became the title of a long-running parody franchise - and followed a group of friends being stalked by a masked killer. Scream opens with an extended sequence where a character played by Drew Barrymore is taunted over the phone by the killer, which ends with her brutal death. Audiences were shocked the biggest name in the cast was the first victim, establishing the danger for the rest of the characters.
Scream also paid loving parody to classic horror movie tropes, with characters in the movie being aware of all the slasher cliches. The movie was also directed by the late, great Wes Craven, who helmed a number of iconic horror movies like A Nightmare On Elm Street. The horror genre was in weak shape when Scream arrived and ushered in a new era of self-aware horror movies like Urban Legend and I Know What You Did Last Summer. The movie also spawned a number of sequels with the most recent entry, Scream 4, released in 2011.
Scream 4 received mixed reviews upon release, with many feeling it didn't have much to say about the genre that was fresh. The movie was also considered something of a financial disappointment so is a Scream 5 likely to happen?
Scream 5 & 6 Were Originally Planned
Both Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson confirmed back in 2011 that should Scream 4 be a hit, Scream 5 & 6 would follow. Like with the previous movies, Craven and Williamson had a hard time working with The Weinstein Company on Scream 4, who required constant rewrites and re-shoots. Williamson also departed the sequel during production to focus on his series The Vampire Diaries. No plot details for either Scream 5 or 6 were ever revealed, outside of the fifth film following the survivors of part four. In subsequent interviews following the release of Scream 4, neither Craven nor Williamson sounded very enthused about the idea of another Scream.
The Scream TV Series Ended in 2019
Most hopes for Scream 5 seemed to dissipate following the announcement of the Scream TV series on MTV, with producer Bob Weinstein even stating the TV series replaced plans for Scream 5, but it looks like that may have been premature. The show followed a new cast of characters, and featured none of the actors from the movies. Scream season 3 finally aired on VH1 in 2019, despite first being confirmed way back in 2016. A fourth season seems unlikely, clearing the way for a new film.
Scream 5 Is Officially Back in Development
In November 2019, the long silence concerning a Scream 5 finally ended, with reports that Spyglass Media Group was developing a new Scream film. In March 2020, the project began moving forward, with Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett attached to take the helm. It's still unclear exactly what form Scream 5 will take, whether that be a total reboot of the franchise, another sequel, or something else entirely. Likewise, it's also unknown if Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, or David Arquette will reprise their roles.