First Details Release for New ‘Scream’ Film

The original Scream film was both a loving tribute to and a deconstruction of long-standing horror movie tropes. In fact, the original draft of the Scream script was titled “Scary Movie,” which is why much of it would be referenced in the infamous satire film of the same name. Like a lot of the classic horror standbys, Scream has been in stasis for a while, with the last film releasing in 2011, but today, we finally got a new trailer and details for the return of Ghostface.

The new film, known only as Scream, is set to release on January 14, 2022. Contrary to what the mildly annoying naming choice may imply, this film is not a reboot of the Scream franchise. It takes place in the same continuity as the previous films and is slated to feature the return of several characters, though they will not be the focus of the story. It is, for all intents and purposes, Scream 5. For the directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the scariest part of the process was trying to convince those old actors to return.

“It was a wildly anxiety-producing situation,” Gillett told Entertainment Weekly. “They were not disposable roles; they were very, very important and the heartbeat of what was great about the script. We couldn’t imagine the movie without any of them and so not having that perfectly locked-in right off the bat was definitely scary.”

Do you like scary movies? Watch the NEW trailer for #ScreamMovie – Only in theatres January 14, 2022.

❤️ this tweet to be the first to receive killer EXCLUSIVE notifications until opening day. pic.twitter.com/fTl4D6Y65x

— Scream (@ScreamMovies) October 12, 2021

The directors did eventually managed to convince Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette to all return in their previous roles as Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley, respectively.

“I genuinely was in two minds,” says Campbell. “The idea of making these films without Wes Craven seemed challenging to me. I loved the man very much. But Matt and Tyler wrote me a letter, speaking of their appreciation and great respect for Wes Craven, and speaking of the fact that the very reason that they are directors today was because of these movies and because of Wes, and that meant a great deal to me.”