Over the last few years we’ve seen a resurgence of horror and serial killer dramas make their way to our television sets and give us nightmares on a weekly basis. Dexter opened the door for serial killers, which has led to shows like The Following, Bates Motel, and Hannibal. We’ve also seen shows like The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Supernatural, Sleepy Hollow, and now the upcoming David Duchovny-starring Aquarius fall into the horror genre, each with varying degrees of success. In the near future, MTV will be taking a stab (pun intended) at the horror game by bringing the popular Scream series to the small screen.
That’s right, Ghostface and the unlucky town of Woodsboro are headed to TV. It’s been about a year since MTV greenlit the pilot and things have been pretty quiet ever since. Thanks to TVLine though, we now have word that production is moving forward and that casting is about to begin. Additionally, we also have four new character descriptions that tell us which direction the show is headed in. Check them out below:
- Harper Duval: A 16-year-old beauty “who’s a little too introverted and intellectual to be a social butterfly” but has nevertheless been anointed by the popular crowd to be one of their own. “She feels guilty that she has drifted away from former best friend Audrey,” but at least she’s got a ‘Gilmore Girls’-esque relationship with mom Maggie to keep her sane.
- Audrey Jesen: Haper’s former BFF is described as “the bi-curious daughter of a Lutheran pastor” who’s “more arresting-looking than pretty.” This “artsy loner” dreams of being a filmmaker and shares a close bond with tech genius Noah.
- Noah Foster: Audrey’s closest confidante is “creative, brilliant and tech-savvy enough to be the next Steve Jobs.” Lucky for him, he’s got a great sense of humor (“a la John Cusack in his teen prime”) that helps him navigate the halls of his high school. What’s more, Noah possesses “an encyclopedic knowledge of books, films, TV, apps, etc.”
- Margaret “Maggie” Duval: Harper’s mom, in her early to mid-40s, is the town’s medical examiner, “a grown-up science geek who plays down her beauty.” Maggie spends a lot of her time trying to make up for the fact that Harper’s dad abandoned them. Oh, and she’s harboring “a dark secret from her past.”
TV Line did provide a description of the show’s plot as well, which could lead to some interesting tie-ins:
The pilot, penned by Jill Blotevogel (Ravenswood, Harper’s Island, Eureka), kicks off with a YouTube video going viral, which will have adverse repercussions for teenager Audrey and seemingly serve as the “catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to [her] town’s troubled past.”
Like the films, the new Scream series will center around teenagers. Or, a Hollywood version of teenagers anyway. The show already has a very MTV-vibe, filled with pop culture nods and teen angst that put it closer to something like Teen Wolf than The Following (which was, coincidentally, created by the guy who wrote Scream)
What we don’t know yet is how this show will be tied to the films, if at all. I could easily see this being a reboot or rebranding of the property, especially since it looks like Scream 5 isn’t coming out any time soon. However, it may be smarter for them to spin the show off of the films.
Could the town with the troubled past be Woodsboro? It seems silly not to make that the setting of the show, especially since so much of what happened in the films revolved around the seemingly cursed suburb. It’s also possible that the YouTube video that goes viral could be connected to Scream 4, since Emma Roberts’ character Jill records all of the murders she commits in an attempt to get famous. Though she bites the dust in the end, it’s possible that the footage gets leaked and she becomes an internet celebrity. Could her story spawn a slew of copycat killers or some Ghostface worshiping cult? Maybe.
According to Bloody Disgusting, Wes Craven is expected to be in the diretor’s chair for the pilot, which is reassuring since he directed all four Scream movies. Though it runs the risk of turning into a melodramatic teen drama, this series has the potential to be really enjoyable, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that Craven and co. can do something special with the material.
