Wes Craven’s 1996 Scream was easily one of the best and most influential horror films of the 1990s. Its sequel in 1997 was just as successful with critics, audiences, and at the box office. The franchise faltered with 2000’s Scream 3, but started to take a step back in the right direction with 2011’s Scream 4. While rumors have persisted for sometime that a Scream 5 is in the works, Entertainment Weekly reports that a TV series based on the popular franchise is officially moving forward and now has a cast and director.
In development since 2012, the Scream TV series will air on MTV, where other movie-turned-show, Teen Wolf, has a rabid cult following. The showrunner will be Jill Blotevogel (Ravenswood), while the pilot will be scripted by Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin (Criminal Minds), and will now be directed by Jamie Travis (For a Good Time, Call…). It is curious to note that franchise screenwriter Kevin Williamson will not be writing the pilot nor will Craven be directing.
The network has announced the main cast with details on each character:
Willa Fitzgerald as EMMA DUVAL: A classic beauty whose looks and popularity hide a natural shyness and intellectual nature. Her new life with the “in crowd” leaves her estranged her from childhood best friend Audrey.
Amy Forsyth: as AUDREY JENSEN: The daughter of a Lutheran pastor, Audrey is an artsy loner who aspires to be a filmmaker.
Carlson Young as BROOKE MADDOX: Charismatic leader of the popular crew whose personality vacillates between bubbly sweetness and ferocious sex appeal.
Amadeus Serafini as KIERAN WILCOX: The mysterious new kid in town, Kieran’s got a dark side and a tough exterior that hints at experience beyond his years.
John Karna (The Neighbors) has also been cast, but his character’s name and description have not been detailed.
It has previously been reported by TV Line that the series will begin “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”.
The Scream series is finally happening and is likely to air next year, but with this and recent reported issues between Williamson and Craven, the planned Scream 5 and 6 sound to be in trouble.