Scream fans can officially celebrate, as it has been confirmed Courteney Cox will reprise her role as news reporter, Gale Weathers in the upcoming movie reboot. There was earlier speculation Cox would sign on — after the addition of franchise alum, David Arquette — but nothing has been official until now, with Spyglass Media Group and Paramount making the announcement Friday, according to Variety. The new film is currently expected to begin filming in Wilmington, North Carolina later this year.
Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — who directed the hit 2019 horror-thriller Ready or Not — are directing the new Scream film, which has been written by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man) and Guy Busick (Ready or Not). “It’s impossible to fully express how much Wes Craven’s work and the Scream movies, in particular, mean to us as fans and have influenced us as storytellers,” Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who work under the moniker Radio Silence, said in a statement. “Kevin Williamson’s incredible stories have entertained and inspired us for decades, and we’re insanely honored to have the opportunity to be a part of the cinematic world Wes and Kevin so brilliantly created together. Jamie and Guy’s amazing script does that legacy justice, and we’re so excited to bring the next chapter of Scream to life.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Following the announcement that he’d joined the cast of the film, Arquette issued his own statement: “I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new,” Arquette said. “Scream has been such a big part of my life, and for both the fans and myself, I look forward to honoring Wes Craven’s legacy.”
Both Arquette and Cox have appeared in every Scream film since the 1996 original. The only other star to do this is the franchise lead, Neve Campbell. There have been rumors that Campbell will also return for the fifth Scream film, but at this time it does not appear that she has officially signed on. “They’ve come to me, and we’re having conversations,” Campbell previously said, per Bloody Disgusting. “It’s a little hard at the moment because of COVID to know when that’ll happen, and hopefully, we can see eye to eye on all the elements that have to come into place for it to happen.”
She then went on to explain how she “originally had been really apprehensive about doing another Scream without Wes [Craven],” the late iconic filmmaker who created the franchise “because he was such a genius.” Campbell continued, “He is the reason they are what they are, but the directors have come to me with such a great appreciation for Wes’s work, and they really want to honor it, and that meant a lot to me. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do it.”
