‘WE ARE BACK!’: A beloved horror franchise is confirmed to return from the dead just in time for Halloween

Marlon Wayans just made an announcement on X that fans never thought they’d hear: The Wayans brothers are back!

Wayans recently appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, Club Shay Shay, where he opened up about how he and his brothers created the horror franchise Scary Movie while working under Harvey Weinstein’s Miramax. He described how, after two successful films, Weinstein tried to cut them a poor financial deal. Rather than accept it, they walked away, and although the series continued without them, it never recaptured the success of those first two installments. Sharing the news of their return, Wayans wrote on X: “After nearly 20 years, the Wayans brothers are finally going to give the fans what they’ve been asking for… a return to the Scary Movie franchise!”

At its best, the Scary Movie franchise draws hilarious comedy from the day’s biggest horror tropes, setting up skit-like scenarios where horror characters act like everyday people making rational—though sometimes over-the-top—choices. When the original was released, it targeted major horror hits of the time and added a gut-busting spin on classic narratives, like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Now, with Scary Movie 6 on the horizon, fans are eager to see which films and trends the Wayans brothers will satirize in their distinct, shared vision.

The horror landscape has changed significantly since the early 2000s. Back then, horror films consistently topped the box office and were mainstream phenomena. Today, horror has returned to underdog status, with most new releases being low-budget, independent films from acclaimed directors like Ari Aster (Midsommar). Seeing how the Wayans brothers will approach and poke fun at this new era of horror is an exciting prospect, as their style is uniquely suited to reimagine what’s popular in the genre.

On the business side, it’s clear the Wayans brothers won’t accept anything less than fair compensation this time around. They’ve repeatedly shown they’ll walk away from an undervalued deal — and not just with Scary Movie. Recently, before Marlon’s appearance on Sharpe’s podcast, hip-hop interviewer DJ Vlad invited him on his show. When Marlon shared his rate, DJ Vlad declined and then publicly commented that it was too high, predicting the interview wouldn’t draw more than 300,000 views. By contrast, Marlon’s Club Shay Shay episode reached 1.8 million views in just 24 hours, showing his worth and appeal.

One of the Wayans’ unique talents is creating stars. From Anna Faris to Jim Carrey, Keenen Ivory Wayans has a knack for elevating unknowns to household names, and fans hope he’ll bring the same star-making magic to Scary Movie 6. Filming for the next installment is set to begin next year, almost 22 years after the brothers left a deal they felt didn’t value them. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a true masterclass in self-worth.

Until then, Scary Movie’s main writers, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, are focused on their solo projects. Marlon is set to star in the upcoming thriller Him, while Shawn is working as a writer on Poppa’s House, a new CBS sitcom starring Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr., another production from the Wayans family.