Courteney Cox’s Scream 5 Update Has Me Confused About The Horror Sequel

Gale Weathers in Scream 4 arguing with Dewey.

The horror genre has been experiencing a renaissance over the past few years, to the joy of the fans. And in addition to exciting original projects, beloved franchises have also returned to theaters. This trend will continue with the new Scream movie, which will feature the original trio of heroes including Courteney Cox. Although the Friends alum’s latest update about Scream 5 has me a bit confused.

The upcoming fifth Scream movie will be the first installment of the beloved slasher property not helmed by late horror legend Wes Craven. The pressure is on for Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett live up to expectations, although actors like Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox clearly were seemingly impressed by the filmmakers. Cox recently spoke to the fifth’s movie’s contents, saying:

Scream, this is the fifth one. It's not Scream 5 though, this is Scream. These directors are incredible, they're making it absolutely, it's a new franchise. It's hip, it's scary, it's just a new Scream. It's not a reboot, it's not a remake, it’s just a brand new launch. I think it’s going to be fantastic.

Well, I’m confused. Because while Courtney Cox teases something totally new for Scream, she also maintains the project isn’t a reboot or remake. Somebody give us some footage, ASAP.

Courteney Cox’s comments come from her recent appearance on Scream co-sar Drew Barrymore’s talk show. While discussing topics like the Friends reunion, eventually Barrymore asked her friend and colleague about Scream 5. While being careful not to reveal the movie’s contents, Cox’s cryptic quote is sure to start a new series of fan theories.

The fifth Scream movie’s title was the subject of some backlash when it was released, as it’s identical to Wes Craven’s original movie. While some cast members have joked about the title, Courteney Cox seems to take it seriously. Although fans are going to remain in the dark for the time being.

Not much is known about the contents of Scream 5, although having franchise stars Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell, and David Arquette back is definitely a good sign. Campbell previously revealed that it was the directors’ love for Wes Craven’s work that convinced her to return. We’ll just have to wait and see if they manage to make it out of the sequel alive.

While the new Scream remains a mystery, Courteney Cox did confirm that it’ll be a new, scary version of the beloved slasher. The Scream franchise has always been meta and addressed the genre as a whole, so it’ll be fascinating to see how this trend continues. Plus, there's a stellar cast of newcomers joining the property heroes.

Scream is currently expected to arrive in theaters on January 14th, 2022. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.