For fans of MTV's Scream TV series, there is good and bad news. Yes, the show will still be returning for a third season; however, the rumors have been confirmed and it will not be the show we have come to know since season 1 in 2015.
It is out with the old and in with the new when Scream season 3 hits later this year. The series was already threatening to become more of an anthology with its sporadic storytelling, but we are now one step closer to Scream becoming a new show every few years. With the ratings for season 2 half of what they were for the premiere season, it seems like it was either shape up or ship out for the teen terror.
MTV reports that there will be a whole new cast in front of the camera and even bigger changes behind the scenes. Showrunners Michael Gans and Richard Register will be replaced by Supernatural's Brett Matthews, while elsewhere, Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere, and Yaneley Arty will be joining as executive producers for Flavor Unit Entertainment.
Although wildly different to the popular Scream films from Dimension Films, Scream the TV series followed a similar premise. There was a decidedly Ghostface-esque attacker who stalked the teens of the quiet town of Lakewood and an unraveling mystery where literally anyone could be the killer. Despite falling ratings in the second season, Scream was commissioned for a shorter run of six episodes for season 3 to tie together any loose ends.
Reinventing the slasher genre, Wes Craven directed all four of the Scream films between 1996 and 2011 and boosted the careers of the likes of Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. Although none of the stars from the film franchise transferred to the TV show, Craven swapped his directorial duties to remain on board as an executive producer. Craven sadly passed away in August 2015 and the show dedicated the final episodes of its first season to the acclaimed horror director.
With Scream 4 performing below expectations for The Weinstein Company, plans for a fifth and sixth installment soon vanished. It seemed that all parties lost interest, while Craven focused his work on the MTV series instead. Bob Weinstein has since gone on record to say that for now at least, television screens are where Scream belongs. Both Bob and Harvey Weinstein will also remain on the show as executive producers under the Dimension TV umbrella.
Annoyingly for fans of the show, there were still be several unanswered questions from when we left Lakewood in the two-part Scream Halloween special. Also, with a popular cast of young acting talent, it is a blow that we won't get to say proper goodbyes to Emma (Willa Fitzgerald), Audrey (Bex Taylor-Klaus), and Noah (John Karna).
Now, as Scream prepares to enter its (still) shortened run, it means that there are only six episodes to get to know the next batch of fresh meat. It could be a breath of fresh air for the show, but we have to ask whether the scythe is hanging just a little close to MTV's Scream.
Next: 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Scream
Scream will return for season 3 on MTV.
Source: MTV