When it was first announced that Scream 4 would be the first part of a new trilogy written by screenwriter Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, some wondered what connection it would have to the original three films. It was soon after announced that Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette had committed to reprise their respective roles, and that the film would also feature a new group of teens.
So does this mean that we'll have a completely new killer? A copycat perhaps?
Evidence now suggests that Williamson and Craven will be using flashbacks to tie the new film in with the previous installments.
DeepSaidWhat has learned that while most of the film is being shot in Ann Arbor, Woodworth Middle School (4951 Ternes St.) will be used for a "flashback" scene in the film.
In the coming weeks, movie production crews will be constructing a new "face" of the school at the entrance of Woodworth. ... Apparently, the school was chosen because the design and brickwork closely matches a building that was featured in an earlier Scream film.
But what will be the purpose of said flashback? Will Williamson and Craven use a flashback to Woodsboro High School to change history? You know, the same way Sam Raimi altered Uncle Ben's death in Spider-Man 3?
Previously:
The first part of a new trilogy written by screenwriter Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven.
Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette have all previously committed to reprise their respective roles in the fourth film.
The movie will be set ten years later in Woodsboro, and is described as "an ensemble" which will introduce several new characters. Craven told EW that the new film will take place a decade later, a decade without the ghostface killer. But that doesn't mean that movie-within-the-movie-series Stab has come to an end.
"We have fun with the idea of endless sequels, or "sequelitis" as Kevin calls it in the script. Sid goes through these three horrendous things, and Stab was based on those horrible things. And then they've been taken by a studio and run into the ground in a series of sequels. She has been off by herself and living her own life, and she's even written a book that has gotten a lot of critical acclaim. She's kind of put her life back together in the course of these 10 years. But, certainly, there would be no Scream without Ghostface, so she has to confront him again, but now as a woman who has really come out the darkness of her past." ... "This is a film about the progress of, at this point, three core characters, and how all of these events have changed their lives, and how the events in their lives have been reflected in the movies around them, which they might like or might really not like at all. I think that makes it really different."
I still think the Stab series has been played out and the meta actors-playing-characters got old pretty fast. I hope the new film will move away from those meta elements of the last two movies. Williamson has said that Scream 4 will reference manga comics, Asian ghost girl movies, PG-13 horror movies, vampire films, M. Night Shyamalan movies and even torture porn. Scream 4 will begin shooting in Michigan in June 2010, aiming for a April 15th 2011 release.
Here is information on the new characters in the new movie Beware of possible minor spoilers. You could assume things about the characters that list "NAME CAMEOS PREFERRED" judging from the previous films in the series.
Emma Roberts will play Jill Kessler, "one of the film's primary heroines," a cousin to Neve Campbell's character in the series. Described as "pretty in an ingenue way. Smart, strong. A little goofy, but she makes it sexy. Full of contradictions, but instantly likeable. Not a mean bone in her body. They're not close, but Jill is Sidney's cousin."
Hayden Panettiere will play Jill's best friend, Kirby Reed — a nerdy film geek. Described as "Cute and quirky, was a tomboy until a year ago, now she's alternative, cool and sexy. Jill's best friend. She's a pop culture and horror aficionado;"
Rory Culkin will play Charlie Walker, a potential love interest for Jill. Here is the character description: "Messy cute. Friends with Jill, Trevor, Kirby, and Olivia. A little cocky, he likens himself to 'Randy' from Scream 1 without the nerd part. No such luck, he's definitely a nerd. May or may not have a crush on Jill. He'd never admit it if he does;"
Lake Bell will play Duputy Judy Hicks, a police officer who knew Sidney (Campbell) from high school. The casting call described the character as follows: "A police officer, decidedly sexy but a bit off, she knew Sidney from high school. Didn't make a big enough impression for Sidney to remember her. Likes her boss, Dewey, perhaps a little too much. NAME CAMEOS PREFERRED;"
Nico Tortorella will play Trevor Sheldon, described as: "Handsome high school jock, but quiet and intense, as though a secret hangs over his head."
Lauren Graham (Gillmore Girls) will be playing Kate, the mother of Emma Roberts' character Jill Kessler.
Anthony Anderson has played a cop on Law and Order and The Shield, so I'm guessing he plays one of the two detective roles:
DETECTIVE HOSS (MALE 30s-40s; any ethnicity) New school cop. College graduate raised on the CSI TV series. NAME CAMEOS PREFERRED;
DETECTIVE PERKINS (MALE 30s-40s; any ethnicity) Old school cop. Cocky, bigoted, and snarky. NAME CAMEOS PREFERRED;
20-year-old California model turned actress Marielle Jaffe likely plays one of the new teens:
OLIVIA MORRIS (17-18; any ethnicity) Sexy and hot. A fun girl who knows how to be bitchy without being a bitch. She finds a way to make every situation about her, but somehow does it in a charming way. Part of the Jill, Kirby, Charlie, Trevor friend group;
BETTE (20s; any ethnicity) Sidney's personal assistant. Type A who gets the job done. Secretly yearns for Sidney's fame and fortune;
REBECCA (17-18; any ethnicity) Cute, vain, over-achieving student at Woodsboro High School. Editor in Chief of the high school newspaper. She's a future Gale Weathers.
Other roles include:
OLIVIA MORRIS (17-18; any ethnicity) Sexy and hot. A fun girl who knows how to be bitchy without being a bitch. She finds a way to make every situation about her, but somehow does it in a charming way. Part of the Jill, Kirby, Charlie, Trevor friend group;
DETECTIVE HOSS (MALE 30s-40s; any ethnicity) New school cop. College graduate raised on the CSI TV series. NAME CAMEOS PREFERRED;
DETECTIVE PERKINS (MALE 30s-40s; any ethnicity) Old school cop. Cocky, bigoted, and snarky. NAME CAMEOS PREFERRED;
PATTY (17-18; any ethnicity) A bouncy teenage girl with a fountainhead of pop culture that is impressive. Like all teenagers who live in Woodsboro, she is obsessed with the Woodsboro murders and with the STAB films;
MARNIE (17-18; any ethnicity) Friend of Patty's. Funny and mischievous; loves practical jokes. Sometimes pushes too far. Bored with Woodsboro's obsessions with murders that happened when she and her friends were toddlers;
BETTE (20s; any ethnicity) Sidney's personal assistant. Type A who gets the job done. Secretly yearns for Sidney's fame and fortune;
REBECCA (17-18; any ethnicity) Cute, vain, over-achieving student at Woodsboro High School. Editor in Chief of the high school newspaper. She's a future Gale Weathers.