Following along with Hollywood’s remake trend, a ton of horror franchises have been given fresh thrills and exciting continuations. From 2018’s Halloween, 2019’s Child’s Play to the upcoming Candyman spiritual sequel with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Now almost a decade since the Scream franchise was revisited, a movie featuring GhostFace is in development and the directors of Ready Or Not will be behind the mask.
Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directed a cult horror hit in Ready Or Not last year. Blending gory terrors, dry humor and satire, the movie was one of the most critically-acclaimed movies of the genre in 2019. Made on a $6 million budget, Ready Or Not had a worthwhile ride at the box office with a $57 million haul. The pair of the directors are now moving on to the popular Scream franchise that had a hand in revitalizing horror in the ‘90s.
No word yet about whether this Scream movie will be a reboot or a continuation of the franchise. The project is being developed under Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett and Chad Villela Radio Silence filmmaking team with Villela serving as one of the producers on Scream. The trio has also worked on other horror projects together: 2012’s V/H/S, 2014’s Devil’s Due and 2015’s Southbound.
The rights to Scream were obtained by Lantern Entertainment following the bankruptcy of Harvey Weinstein’s company back in 2018. Previous reports last year linked Blumhouse Productions to a developing Scream project following the success of Halloween under its umbrella. However, the vice president of feature development at Jason Blum’s studio debunked the claim back in August.
Jason Blum showed his interest in obtaining the Scream property in the past as well, but the franchise is in good hands here with the Ready Or Not directors helming the project. When the first film of its kind was released back in 1996, it used a ton of horror cliches in a clever way to become a refreshing entry in the genre. It kickstarted the careers of Neve Campbell along with featuring Drew Barrymore, Dave Arquette and Courtney Cox in roles they are still particularly remembered for.
Ready Or Not introduced many to Aussie actress Samara Weaving ahead of her more high-profile roles in Bill & Ted Face The Music and Snake Eyes. While this could mean a sequel for their original horror hit isn’t in the works, maybe the actress could collaborate with the pair of directors again? The franchise has produced four films and a television show on MTV.
The original Scream follows a woman who becomes terrorized by a mysterious killer who wears a mask in what seems to be a sick game for him – often exchanging threatening calls over the phone and saying one-liners like “it’s showtime!” Ready Or Not is about a woman about to marry into a rich family who learns of another twisted game where her in-laws try to hunt her to the death. Similar, no?
Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates on the return of Scream.
