Some of the most popular horror franchises have seen a vengeful return to cinemas in recent years, including Halloween, IT and the upcoming Candyman sequel. Coming up next, Wes Craven’s Scream movies will be given a fifth installment from the directors of last year’s underrated slasher gem Ready or Not. Since Scream 5 was announced early this year, the legacy-quel has been steadily revealing its cast. Here’s what we know about who’s involved so far:
David Arquette
The first actor to sign on to Scream 5 was fan-favorite David Arquette, who has played Dewey Riley in every movie in the franchise thus far. Back in May, the 48-year-old actor expressed that he is “thrilled” to be reprising the role of the Woodsboro sheriff and “honoring Wes Craven’s legacy.” Since Scream 5 will mark the first movie in the franchise to be made without the director, Arquette recently told CinemaBlend he thinks it will be bittersweet to make the movie. How Arquette’s famed Scream character will play into the fifth movie has not been revealed yet. Aside from his work in the movie series, Arquette recently starring in horror comedy Spree and in the documentary You Cannot Kill David Arquette.
Courteney Cox
Another member of the original Scream cast who has announced their involvement is Friends’ Courteney Cox, who will once again play the Woodsboro reporter and wife to Dewey, Gale Weathers-Riley. Cox has also played a part in every Scream movie so far, and Scream 5 will thankfully be no exception. The actress confirmed her involvement in the film in late July with a video of Ghostface, complemented with “I can’t wait to see this face again.” Cox met Arquette on the set of Scream, subsequently got married and had their daughter together since the original movie. Scream 5 will be the first time they will star together as these characters as ex spouses.
Neve Campbell
The most iconic actress to grace the Scream franchise might be Neve Campbell. After months of rumors, Never Campbell confirmed she is returning to play Sidney Prescott in Scream 5 with a post where she said “Hello again, Sidney… #ImBack.” Previously in May, she had told CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend co-host Jake Hamilton that she was in “conversations” with the team behind Scream 5. The 46-year-old scream queen shared hopes to see “eye to eye” on the elements that would make the movie worthwhile without Wes Craven after feeling apprehensive about returning to the role prior. Campbell was in Castle in the Ground earlier this year and House of Cards from 2016 to 2017.
Marley Shelton
Another returning member of the Scream family is Marley Shelton, who previously played Deputy Judy Hicks in 2011’s Scream 4, the right-hand woman to David Arquette’s Sheriff Dewey. This casting news shows that Scream 5 is not only honoring the original franchise, but the more recent sequels from the late Wes Craven. Shelton is also known for playing Dr. Dakota Block in 2007’s Planet Terror and recently had a central role in 2018’s Rampage.
Melissa Barrera
The first fresh face to join Scream 5 is Melissa Barrera, per Deadline. The 30-year-old Mexican actress is most well known for her lead role in STARZ’s series Vida, which aired its third and final season back in May. Melissa Barrera’s most high-profile role before nabbing a part in Scream 5 is the central role of Vanessa in the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Tony-winning musical, In the Heights. The lively movie directed by Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu was initially hitting theaters this summer, but has since been moved to a June 18, 2021 release.
Jenna Ortega
Another new addition to the Scream franchise for the fifth movie is 17-year-old former Disney Channel actress Jenna Ortega. She led the family television show Stuck in the Middle from 2016 to 2018, and has served as the voice of Princess Isabel in the animated Disney series Elena of Avalor. Ortega also frequented the CW series Jane the Virgin as the young version of Gina Rodriguez’s Jane Villanueva. Most recently, she played the role of Ellie on the second season of Netflix’s popular crime drama You. Deadline reported she is joining Scream 5 shortly after finishing a film with Demi Moore called Songbird, which centers on a pandemic and was made during the current circumstances.
Jack Quaid
Scream 5 has also enlisted Amazon Prime’s The Boys actor, Jack Quaid, to play an undisclosed character in the film. Quaid is the 28-year-old son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, who has started to carve out an acting career in his own right starting with his debut role of Marvel in 2012’s The Hunger Games. The actor was recently in the rom-com Plus One, Rampage with Dwayne Johnson and has a voice role in the new CBS series Star Trek: Lower Decks. Fans of the highly-popular anti-superhero series The Boys will be the most excited about the news. Dude’s used to blood-soaked scenes on that show, and Scream 5 will likely be no different.
Dylan Minnette
Coming off the final season of Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why this past summer, Dylan Minnette has found his next role in Scream 5. The 23-year-old has been acting since he was a kid in Prison Break and as Jack’s son in Lost. He was in the 2015 live-action take on R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps and 2016 horror movie Don’t Breathe on the creepy front. He’s also a the frontman to the indie band The Wallows.
Kyle Gallner
Kyle Gallner is another newcomer to the Scream franchise who has been an actor since he was a kid as well, with his first movie credit in 2001’s Wet Hot American Summer when he was 15. Gallner played Beaver on Veronica Mars and Bart Allen/Impulse on Smallville, before finding roles in 2014’s Dear White People, American Sniper, the Finest Hours and the 2016 show Outsiders.
Mikey Madison
According to Deadline, 21-year-old Mikey Madison is also heading to Woodsboro in an undisclosed role. The actress is best known for playing Max in the FX series Better Things, which aired its fourth season earlier this year. She’s just getting started in Hollywood, but she made an appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood as one of Manson’s girls, Sadie.
Mason Gooding
Another notable talent joining Scream 5 is Mason Gooding, who played Nick, the crush to Beanie Feldstein’s character, Molly, in Booksmart. He played a central role in Hulu’s teen-comedy Love, Victor earlier this year and has also guested on Ballers, The Good Doctor and Everything’s Going To Be Ok. He also starred in the Netflix holiday rom-com Let It Snow.
Sonia Ammar
Sonia Ammar is an up and comer and relative newcomer in the film world. The French-Arab actress is a recording artist and model, who will be making her big screen debut in Scream 5. Ammar has become an icon in her own right with her previous endeavors, and has amassed a significant social media following. She'll be helping to make the new class of Scream characters, many of which likely won't make it out of their experience with Ghostface alive.
Jasmin Savoy Brown
Rounding out the cast for the time being is Jasmin Savoy Brown, a 26-year-old actress who is known for her work on The Leftovers and Shonda Rhimes series For The People. She’s also going to have roles in the upcoming thriller Sound of Violence and star in the drama Ten Dollar Bill. Like many of her Scream 5 cast mates, we'll have to wait and see what their roles will be. Observing their ages, the movie could very well revolve around high school or (more likely) college students since the cast is so extensive.
Scream 5 is expected to start shooting this fall and hit theaters sometime in 2021. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more casting updates about the horror movie
