Scream 5 Adds Its First New Cast Member

Scream 5 has added its first new cast member. Before today, the much-anticipated relaunch of the horror franchise had rehired two of its long-term stars – namely, David Arquette and Courteney Cox. This Monday afternoon, though, it was announced that Mexican actress Melissa Barrera has joined the movie in an undisclosed part which is promised to be a “key role.”

Barrera is a major rising star as she has a few big projects coming up over the next couple of years. She’ll feature in 2021’s In the Heights, the screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical, and in Sony’s Carmen, a modern-day reimagining of the classic opera, alongside Jamie Dornan. She can currently be seen on STARZ’s Vida, which wrapped its third season earlier this year.

Obviously, the big question fans will want to know is: who’s Barrera playing in Scream 5? Plot details have yet to be officially revealed, but a recent alleged leak claimed that the film will follow an original character named Sarah who returns to her hometown following a series of vicious killings. If Barrera’s said to be in a key role, it stands to reason that she could be playing Sarah, who sounds like she might be the series’ new Sidney.

Before Neve Campbell loyalists start getting annoyed, we know that the actress has been in talks to join the movie herself for months now. Arquette revealed he was hopeful that she would sign on for the project in a recent interview, too. We may be in for a similar situation to Scream 4, then, which featured Sidney in a prominent role but also introduced a new final girl in Emma Roberts’ Jill. Though there probably won’t be the same killer twist pulled this time.

As directed by Ready or Not‘s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Scream 5 is gearing up to enter production this fall in Wilmington, North Carolina. Paramount is due to release it in theaters sometime in 2021.