Spyglass Entertainment’s Scream reboot has officially landed its first cast member. And the best news is, it confirms that the new film isn’t really a reboot but a continuation of the previous four movies in the horror franchise.
Deadline has revealed today that David Arquette has signed up to reprise his role as Woodsboro Sheriff Dewey Riley in Scream 5. Speaking about his excitement to be back, the actor said the following:
“I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new. Scream has been such a big part of my life, and for both the fans and myself, I look forward to honoring Wes Craven’s legacy.”
This news follows on from Neve Campbell’s comments revealing that she’s in talks to return as series protagonist Sidney Prescott as well, which gave us our first sign that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett wanted to follow on from Craven’s original quartet and not start from scratch. However, Campbell has yet to sign along the dotted line.
Apparently, Spyglass is discussions with other franchise veterans to return as well for Scream 5. Presumably, Arquette’s real-life ex-wife Courtney Cox is at the top of the list, as only she, Campbell and Arquette have appeared in all four previous entries in the Ghostface saga. Cox memorably played bitchy reporter Gale Weathers and last time we saw her, she was married to Dewey, so it would make sense for her to feature.
Deadline was also able to confirm that the film is set to shoot in Wilmington, North Carolina later this year, as soon as safety protocols are in place for the movie industry to get going again.
Scream 5 is written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, with original screenwriter Kevin Williamson serving as EP. And with Arquette on board, the production is 100% a go now, so get ready to return to Woodsboro for another night of meta-murder mayhem.