New ‘Scream’ Sequel Will Bring Courteney Cox Back Again As Gale Weathers
Do you like scary movies?FriendsstarCourteney Coxcertainly does, because she has just officially signed on for her fifthScreammovie, once again reprising her role as reporter Gale Weathers. Get more details about Paramount’s relaunch of the horror franchise below.
Wes Craven, who directed all four existingScreamfilms, died in 2015, soMatt Bettinelli-OlpinandTyler Gillettof the filmmaking group Radio Silence aretaking overfor this new version, which is apparently taking a page out of theHalloween(2018) playbook and just going by the titleScream. If you don’t recognize those filmmakers by name, they’re the ones who directed last year’sReady or Notand segments of horror anthology films likeV/H/SandSouthbound. Evidently they had a pitch that honors Craven’s legacy, and they seem to have convinced most of the major players to get on board.
Cox, whose Gale Weathers character was instrumental in the downfall of the killer in 2011’sScream 4, joins her former real-life husbandDavid Arquetteas part of the newScreamcast, with Arquettereprising his roleas Dewey Riley. This press release promises that more casting announcements will be coming soon, and we can only assume that means that Neve Campbell will be back as Sidney Prescott, the “final girl” from all four previousScreammovies. We know she’s beennegotiating her return, so hopefully they can reach an agreement and the complete original trio will be back for this new installment.
“We can’t imagine ‘Scream’ without the iconic Gale Weathers and are so incredibly thrilled and humbled to have the opportunity to work with Courteney,” Radio Silence said in a statement. “We’re absolute mega fans of her work and we’re so excited to join her in the next chapter of the ‘Scream’ saga!”
While screenwriter Kevin Williamson has long been the brains behind this franchise, he’s stepping into an executive producer role for this entry whileJames Vanderbilt(Murder Mystery,Zodiac,The Amazing Spider-Man) andGuy Busick(Ready or Not,Castle Rock) write the screenplay this time. The production is aiming to film in Wilmington, North Carolina, but it’s unclear exactly what the timeline will be on both the filming and the movie’s ultimate release, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
As for Cox, she’ll soon be seen on HBO Max’s much-hypedFriendsreunion special, and she’ll also be showing up on a Starz horror comedy series calledShining Vale.
