The horror genre is in a bit of a renaissance lately, as the past few years have seen a slew of movies become bot h critical and box office successes. But the horror world is one that relies heavily on long-running franchises. Halloween and Child's Play recently returned to theaters, and now it looks the most iconic franchise from the 90's might be next. That's right, I'm talking about Scream.
Wes Craven's Scream franchise brought new life to slashers, and the iconic horror director ultimately helped a whopping four movies. The most recent addition came with 2011's Scream 4, but it failed to perform at the box office. And any hopes of the franchise's future in theaters seemed crushed once Craven passed away in 2015. But a new report indicates that a fifth Scream movie is being developed.
This news comes to us from Bloody Disgusting, and hasn't been officially confirmed by any of the parties involved. Still, the rumor is enough to make Scream fans giddy with anticipation. Especially following the disappointing nature of the Scream show's third season, brought back Ghostface but failed to connect with audiences.
According to the report, another Scream movie is being developed by Gary Barber’s Spyglass Media Group. Barber has had a long career as a producer, working on projects like Glass, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and Invictus. There are no real details about what the possible fifth movie might include, but it could make history as the first Scream movie not helmed by the late, great Wes Craven.
If a fifth movie comes to fruition, I'm hoping it will once again star the original cast. All four movies revolved around the trio of Sydney (Neve Campbell), Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale (Courteney Cox). As such, it's hard to imagine a future sequel without them at the head. The trio survived their last attack by Sydney's cousin in Scream 4, so it seems logical that we should see them return.
Related: No, Blumhouse Isn't Doing A Scream Reboot
If Scream 5 happens and continues the same timeline of the franchise, there are some interesting narrative threads to pull from. The aftermath of Jill's rampage through Woodsboro was never really explored, as the fourth movie closed on news reports that were hailing her as a hero. Furthermore, it was never confirmed that Hayden Panettiere's Kirby actually died in Scream 4. While she was stabbed a few times, she had her eyes open during the last shot of the character. Could she pop up in the fifth movie alongside the OG stars?
Of course, Gary Barber and company would have to convince the original cast to return, and also bankroll their salaries. If Scream 5 was going to be a smaller budget project similar to Blumhouse's Halloween, that might be challenging. But without Wes Craven's signature direction, the original stars are gong to be necessary to get longtime fans of the franchise on board.
CinemaBlend will keep you updated on any potential Scream news as it comes out. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your last trips to the movies this year, and our 2020 list to start planning for the New Year.
