Despite Hollywood coming to a standstill, things are moving very quickly for Scream 5 in the two months since it was announced. David Arquette has officially joined the project and will return to the role of Sheriff Dewey Riley, who’s been with him since 1996.
“I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new,” Arquette said in a statement (via Variety). “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.”
Variety also reports that the film is hoping to begin filming in Wilmington, N.C. this year once safety protocols can happen. Fresh off of their success with Ready or Not, the fifth installment will arrive under the direction of the horror trio Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villela, better known as “Radio Silence.” When their involvement was first announced, there were very little details about the script or whether the film would continue the story or be a reboot. But while plot details are still under wraps, Arquette’s casting seemingly confirms that the film won’t be a complete undoing of the previous chapters.
Adding to this news are reports that Neve Campbell could return as Sidney Prescott. The actress has confirmed that she’s in talks with the directing team, and in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, she was impressed by their approach to honoring Wes Craven:
I got this really, really respectful letter from the directors [Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett] of the new one. They came to me with Scream 5, and these directors are incredibly talented. They wrote a letter honoring Wes in such a beautiful way, and they expressed that the reason they make horror movies is because of Wes and the Scream films… It was just beautiful… I had really thought that the only way I’d step into a new project with new directors is if they really wanted to honor him.
However, Campbell also tempered her remarks by highlighting the uncertainty around any film production due to the ongoing pandemic.
