Multiple 'Scream 5' Crew Members Test Positive for COVID-19, But Production Continues

Production on Scream 5 is underway in Wilmington, North Carolina, even after three crew members tested positive for the coronavirus. Filming was scheduled to resume on Monday following a weekend break. The movie is a relaunch of the popular horror franchise, with Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell, Marley Shelton, and David Arquette all returning to pass the torch to a new group of stars.

The crew members who tested positive will be quarantined and undergo more testing, sources told Deadline Friday. Contact tracing is also underway. Production was not put on hold, and Paramount still plans to release the Spyglass Media Group project on Jan. 14, 2022. The affected crew members were not part of the "primary pod," which includes the actors, director, assistant directors and the director of photography. If they were, production would have had to be paused, like it was when Robert Pattinson tested positive while filming The Batman for Warner Bros. in the U.K. Production on The Batman has already resumed.

Hollywood is slowly working on ways to keep film production alive during the coronavirus pandemic, and while there remains no vaccine for COVID-19. As Deadline explained, many productions are using a "pod" format, where the crews are split into different groups to make sure they have as little interaction as possible with people they don't with on a regular basis. The "primary" group includes the members of the crew the production needs daily, like the actors, directors, and the cinematographer.

The new Scream movie is being directed by Radio Silence duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Ryler Gillett, who made Ready or Not and one of the segments of V/H/S. It was written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, with Kevin Williamson and Radio Silence's Chad Villella executive producing. Project X Entertainment's Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein, and William Sherak are producing. Jack Quaid, Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minnette, Mason Gooding and Mikey Madison also star in the movie.

Not too much is known about the plot, but Campbell, Cox, Shelton, and Arquette are back as their characters from the previous movies. "After spending time speaking with Radio Silence, they have shown such love, respect, and admiration for Wes Craven and all that he's created in the Scream franchise," Campbell said in a statement earlier this month. "I am beyond excited to step back into the role of Sidney Prescott and return to Woodsboro."