Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson encouraged directors of new sequel to take ‘big swings’

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The directors and executive producer of the horror franchise’s fifth installment tell EW about risk-taking and paying homage to Wes Craven.

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It is no real spoiler to say that the new Scream film (out in cinemas Jan. 14) takes big swings when it comes to some of the beloved franchise’s characters. Executive producer Chad Villella explains that the jaw-dropping turns were a crucial part of the original script, by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick.

“Those big swings were definitely present in the script,” says Villella. “As you’re getting closer and closer to production, and the rubber’s about to meet the road, everyone always voices their doubts and is like, ‘Oh, are we sure this the right choice?’ But for us, those swings, they’re so essential and so integral to what happens in the story. They’re really consequential. All of the really big turning points for us, they’re valuable to what the movie is and it just wouldn’t be the same experience if you removed them. It’s sort of a house of cards and really that is what was so clear to us about the script as we were reading it. We loved the risks that it took and wanted to make sure that we protected those at all costs.”

Co-director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin reveals that another of the new film’s executive producers, original Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson, encouraged such risk-taking.

“There’s a swing in the movie that Kevin Williamson flagged in pre-production,” says Bettinelli-Olpin, a member of the Radio Silence collective along with his fellow Scream director Tyler Gillett and Villella. “[He said], ‘This is the only thing that doesn’t quite feel like it’s in a Scream movie, which is why I think it’s the absolute thing you need to make sure stays in the script.’”

Below, Bettinelli-Olpin, Gillett, and Villella talk about paying homage to Wes Craven (who directed the first four films in the series) and the future of the Scream franchise.

Scream 2022 Scream 2022 | Credit: BROWNIE HARRIS/ Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The new Scream has been getting great reactions. That must feel pretty good.

TYLER GILLETT: Yeah, I think it’s more than we ever expected. You always make something hoping that it connects with people and you’re white-knuckling it right up to the moment that people’s opinions are out in the world. We are beyond thrilled [about the reactions] and so excited for audiences now to get to have the experience.

Your 2019 movie Ready or Not was a success, but what was the process of auditioning for the Scream gig?

CHAD VILLELLA: Well, it’s funny you bring up Ready or Not because Ready or Not kind of was our audition. Working [on the film] with the team at Project X — William Sherak, Paul Neinstein, and James Vanderbilt — that was very nice and they brought us in to Gary Barber at Spyglass. They said, “We think you’re the guys to help us make this movie,” and we couldn’t be more thankful for them doing that.

Scream 2022 Scream 2022 | Credit: BROWNIE HARRIS/ Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group

What was it like reading the script? And how similar was that screenplay to what people will see in cinemas?

MATT BETTINELLI-OLPIN: We went in to read the script and we took probably two-and-a-half, three hours to do it, because it was so good and we didn’t want to miss anything. It read like you were seeing the movie in the most realistic way. What people will see is pretty much what was on the page then. We changed some things out of necessity, but at the end of the day, the script we read and the movie you’re seeing are very very similar. They really wrote a great script.

The movie goes deep in the weeds with the horror genre. I thought I was having a stroke when some characters started discussing “elevated horror.” It was like someone had scooped out my brain and put it on a screen.

GILLETT: That’s how we felt reading it. We’ve always been reticent to step into a franchise because it’s so hard to create new tracks in something, especially when it’s been done so successfully. Obviously, we’re fans of the original four movies and all of Wes’ work, there was a sort of added layer of pressure with this. So we went in to reading that script and we were so blown away by the multiple layers of commentary in the movie and how, like you said, it felt like Guy and Jamie were inside our brains. There were moments when we were literally cheering when we reading the script.

The Scream series has been very well curated over the years compared to some other franchises. Was that an advantage or did it make your mission more daunting?

VILLELLA: It was an absolute advantage dipping into the Scream lineage and the way that worlds were connected through all four films. The conversation we all had, and Guy and Jamie [dealt with] wonderfully in the script, was, what is it like ten years later? Like, let’s just go and lean into the real world of Woodsboro, and what it is like ten years later, and hopefully continue this wonderful storyline that Wes and Kevin Williamson created 25 years ago.

Scream 2022 Credit: BROWNIE HARRIS/ Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group

As Scream fans, what was it like to step on to set and find yourself directing Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott?

BETTINELLI-OLPIN: Surreal. Just very, very unbelievable. Neve was invaluable in the pre-production process, kind of keeping it within the guard rails of what Scream is. She had a lot of great thoughts that all got worked into the script. Then, on set, Neve, Courteney (Cox), David (Arquette), they really helped guide us along the way in terms of what it was like during the original movies. We tried very hard to kind of marry our process to the process that they all went through in the first four movies, with Wes Craven, and the father-like figure that he was on set.

The new Scream is dedicated to Wes. Could you talk about how you pay homage to him in the film?

BETTINELLI-OLPIN: Our starting point was this has to be, on some level, a love letter to Wes Craven, Scream, and his other work. I would say throughout the making of the movie and within the finished product itself there’s so many little nods to Wes, there’s big nods to Wes. At the end of the day, the entire thing is ultimately a love letter to Wes from us. He’s one of the greatest directors, period, of his generation. To go into the movie already as fans, I think we all came out on the other side even bigger fans because we’ve gotten to know people [who knew him]. Everything we’ve heard and everyone we talked to about him has just been, he was the nicest, most supportive, loving man. So it’s daunting to pick up where he left off on Scream but it also was a real blessing for us.

Would you gentlemen be up for making another Scream film?

VILLELLA: I mean, we love Scream. This is why we’re filmmakers, we love being a part of this franchise. If everyone decides to have us back we would happily talk about the story and where it could possibly go.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Watch the trailer for the new Scream film below.

For interviews with cast and crew, behind-the-scenes tidbits and photos, and much more, pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly’s Guide to Scream, available online or wherever magazines are sold.

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Twitter Debuts Branded Like, Custom Response Activations to Back Scream (2022)

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Twitter rolled out two activations Tuesday to back Friday’s theatrical release of Scream (2022) by Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group.

Sonia Ammar And Mikey Madison Talk Scream (2022) And The Film’s Representation - Exclusive Interview

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Mikey, you have some great scenes with Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox. Were you a fan of the original franchise, and how does it feel getting to carve out your own space in Woodsboro and act alongside some of the series’ icons?

Mikey Madison: I think all of us were so excited to work with Neve and Courteney and David [Arquette]. It was really exciting. [Looking at Sonia] I don’t know, how do you feel?

Sonia Ammar: It’s pretty insane. These are actors that we’ve seen on the screen so many times, and we’ve admired and kind of grown up watching [them]. To act with them, let alone just meet them, it was a crazy experience, and I feel very grateful and humbled, and yeah, what a dream.

I love that this movie and the “Scream” franchise as a whole tackle the idea of this toxic obsession and [the] hero-worshiping of real serial killers. What are your thoughts on this concept, and how do you think “Scream” personifies it?

Madison: I think “Scream” has always been very self-aware, and the directors and writers wrote the movie in a really intelligent way. I think we really wanted the film to represent the real world that we live in within that Woodsboro universe.

Ammar: It’s really cool to see how the script was written. It was really well-written, [including] the way it all intertwines together, like the legacy cast and the new cast and the story and all the fun Easter eggs, and also the reasons for certain things happening. It all makes sense in the end when you watch it, and it’s mind-blowing. It was very witty and intelligent and fun and well done.

Is There a ‘Scream’ (2022) End Credits Scene?

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The new Scream movie is out now in theaters and fans probably want to know if they should stay in their seats for extra footage during the credits sequence.

Many franchises will include end credits scenes to tease what’s to come in future films, though these are often just in superhero movies.

So, is there one after Scream 5?

Click inside for the details…

We can confirm that there is NO end credits scene for 2022′s Scream, keeping in line with all other films in the popular horror franchise.

Here’s the synopsis for the movie: Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.

Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette are all back for their fifth film in the franchise alongside a new group of young stars.

Check out the ranking of all five Scream movies from worst to best.

Scream fans can now pre-order an exclusive steelbook

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Scream fans can now pre-order themselves the slasher legacyquel’s 4K Ultra HD steelbook.

Available via right now, this nifty piece of home entertainment comes immediately after the movie’s theatrical release – bringing back Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox for a fifth terrifying turn on the Ghostface merry-go-round.

It’s priced at £29.99 and the (frankly pretty terrifying) cover features the iconic Scream mask being worn under a black hood by someone holding a seriously sharp and bloody knife. Creepy!

Scream (2022) - Zavvi Exclusive 4K Ultra HD Steelbook Paramount Home Entertainment zavvi.com £29.99 Pre-order Now

Related: Scream confirms fan favourite survived a previous movie with brief Easter egg

If you pre-order now, you’ll get two discs and will be able to enjoy the latest installment in all its glory in wondrous 4K Ultra HD.

Though you can get your order in early to make sure you get your hands on this spooktacular movie, there’s still a while to wait until it’ll actually pop through your door. The steelbook currently has a release date of December 31, though, of course, that could still change.

Paramount Pictures

Related: Scream cast reveal which movie you should rewatch before the new one

If you’re not into the steelbook though, there’s also the for £19.99 (there’s also a limited time 30% off horror 4k UHD titles using the code HORROR30, so you’re going to want to snap it up quickly!) or for £7.99.

As for whether Scream is worth a trip to your local cinema or whether it’s worth pre-ordering to watch it at home later this year, here’s what we here at Digital Spy wrote in our four-star review of the movie: “It’s always a risk when a key aspect of your movie is to provide meta-commentary on the genre as a whole.

“The first two Scream movies walked that fine line between sharply hilarious and being too smug, while the latter two got a bit lost in the meta-ness of it all. Fortunately the new one manages to repeat the trick perfectly by taking a shot at itself too.”

Scream is now in cinemas.

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