‘Scream VI’ Is Almost Here: Everything to Know About the Upcoming Horror Sequel

Credit: Paramount Pictures

'Scream VI' Is Almost Here: Everything to Know About the Upcoming Horror Sequel

Ghostface returns — again. After the success of the latest Scream film, Gale Weathers and the gang are coming back for another round of scares. “We are tremendously grateful to the fans around the world who enthusiastically received our film," Paramount and Spyglass said in a statement announcing the sequel in February 2022. "We can’t wait for audiences to see what Radio Silence, writers Jamie [Vanderbilt] & Guy [Busick] and Project X have in store for our Woodsboro family." The fifth entry in the franchise — simply titled Scream — premiered in January 2022. It was the first film in the series not to be directed by horror legend Wes Craven, who died in 2015. According to the cast, however, the Nightmare on Elm Street creator was still present on set. “There were moments when I felt Wes’s spirit around a lot," David Arquette told The New York Times in January 2022. "There would be a wind blowing and I’d see Courteney’s hair move back. And then it’s just like ... it made it really easy to tap into those feelings." [jwplayer IegsBBwe-zhNYySv2] Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who are set to return for the sixth movie, also drew on Craven's filmography while working on Scream. "Wes has always been a huge influence on us,” Gillett told Nerdist in January 2022. “He’s been a huge part of us finding our own voice. We’ve always referenced Wes’ movies when trying to sell ours. Scream was one we referenced all the time when we were getting Ready or Not made.” Though Arquette and Courteney Cox split in 2010 after 10 years of marriage, the Never Been Kissed actor said it was a blast to work with his ex-wife again. “It’s great when you know people really well and you get to act opposite them,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2022. “There’s just little stuff about them in general as people, so it makes it really comfortable. And, you know, they say, like, 80 percent of communication is nonverbal. So, the more you know someone, obviously you’re gonna have advantages.” The Friends alum, for her part, said that her former spouse got teary-eyed when they shot their first scene together for the fifth film. "He got very emotional while he was filming it,” she told The New York Times. “He said the next day the crew didn’t look at him.” Keep scrolling for more details on Scream VI:

Credit: Paramount Pictures

'Scream VI' Is Almost Here: Everything to Know About the Upcoming Horror Sequel

Ghostface returns — again. After the success of the latest Scream film, Gale Weathers and the gang are coming back for another round of scares. “We are tremendously grateful to the fans around the world who enthusiastically received our film," Paramount and Spyglass said in a statement announcing the sequel in February 2022. "We can’t wait for audiences to see what Radio Silence, writers Jamie [Vanderbilt] & Guy [Busick] and Project X have in store for our Woodsboro family." The fifth entry in the franchise — simply titled Scream — premiered in January 2022. It was the first film in the series not to be directed by horror legend Wes Craven, who died in 2015. According to the cast, however, the Nightmare on Elm Street creator was still present on set. “There were moments when I felt Wes’s spirit around a lot," David Arquette told The New York Times in January 2022. "There would be a wind blowing and I’d see Courteney’s hair move back. And then it’s just like ... it made it really easy to tap into those feelings." [jwplayer IegsBBwe-zhNYySv2] Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who are set to return for the sixth movie, also drew on Craven's filmography while working on Scream. "Wes has always been a huge influence on us,” Gillett told Nerdist in January 2022. “He’s been a huge part of us finding our own voice. We’ve always referenced Wes’ movies when trying to sell ours. Scream was one we referenced all the time when we were getting Ready or Not made.” Though Arquette and Courteney Cox split in 2010 after 10 years of marriage, the Never Been Kissed actor said it was a blast to work with his ex-wife again. “It’s great when you know people really well and you get to act opposite them,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2022. “There’s just little stuff about them in general as people, so it makes it really comfortable. And, you know, they say, like, 80 percent of communication is nonverbal. So, the more you know someone, obviously you’re gonna have advantages.” The Friends alum, for her part, said that her former spouse got teary-eyed when they shot their first scene together for the fifth film. "He got very emotional while he was filming it,” she told The New York Times. “He said the next day the crew didn’t look at him.” Keep scrolling for more details on Scream VI:

Credit: Youtube

What Does the Trailer Reveal?

In December 2022, the trailer for Scream VI was released and focused on the survivors trying to start fresh in New York. However, the group was taunted by Ghostface during a deadly subway ride.

Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group

When Does It Premiere?

​While Scream VI was initially set to come out on March 31, 2023, the release date got pushed up a few weeks earlier, Paramount Pictures announced via Twitter in November. "I’ve updated my plans for you. 🔪 ," the studio shared in a joint statement with the official Scream Movies Twitter account. "The new #ScreamMovie is now coming to theatres March 10, 2023."

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Who Are the Returning Cast Members?

In May 2022, it was confirmed that Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega would be reprising their roles in the sequel.

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Who Is Dermot Mulroney Playing?

The American Horror Story alum will play a police officer, Entertainment Weekly announced in June 2022. n March 2023, Mulroney told the outlet that Scream VI will be more intense than the previous installments in the franchise. "They added so many elements," he explained. "They floored it on the action definitely. The bloody kills, there are more of them, they're gorier, they're longer. That's what I was really struck by, that Ghostface is still stabbing that person!"

Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group

Is Courteney Cox Back?

In March 2022, Cox confirmed that she'll be back as TV journalist Gale Weathers. "I got the script yesterday," she said during an episode of the "Just for Variety" podcast. "I haven't read it yet, I just got it. ... I'm excited to read it, and I know they're going to start filming ... I think, in June, in Canada."

Credit: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group

(Spoiler) Probably Won't Be

Arquette's character, Dewey Riley, met an unfortunate end in the fifth Scream, so it seems unlikely he'll be back for the sixth. Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) appeared in hallucinations in the last movie, though, so it's possible Dewey could make a cameo in a similar way.

Other characters who died in 2022's Scream include Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton), Wes (Dylan Minnette), Richie Kirsch (Jack Quaid) and Amber Freeman (Mikey Madison).

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Kirby Is Alive — And Back to Face Ghostface!

The fifth Scream confirmed that Hayden Panettiere's character from Scream 4, Kirby Reed, survived, so fans were hopeful she’d return for the sixth installment. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed in May 2022 that the Heroes alum would be reprising her role for the new movie.

“I called them up myself and was like, ‘So, you guys don’t, like, happen to want to bring Kirby back, do you?’” Panettiere said during a July 2022 appearance on Good Morning America. “I wanted to be in it that badly."

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How Scary Will It Be?

“Ghostface gets a lot more intimidating,” Ortega told Entertainment Tonight in June 2022. “I just read part of the script, and it just gets more and more gory. I think that this is probably the most aggressive and violent version of Ghostface we’ve ever seen, which I think will really be fun to shoot.”

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Neve Campbell's Departure

“Sadly, I won’t be making the next Scream film,” the OG star said in a statement to Variety in June 2022. “As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise. It’s been a very difficult decision to move on. To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”

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Ghostface's Newest Victims?

In June 2022, Deadline reported that four more actors — Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda and Josh Segarra — had been cast in the horror franchise's latest installment. No details about their characters have been released thus far but based on all of the hints about Ghostface's more "violent" nature this time around, it's likely that they won't stick around for too long.

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What Can Fans Expect?

"They have us so tight-lipped around here. All I can say is how it feels. I don't wanna say the wrong word, but it feels scarier," Barrera exclusively told Us in July 2022. "This sixth movie feels scarier and we're all on sets shooting some of the scenes and we're like, 'Oh my God, this is insane.' I think people are gonna be surprised."

The actress praised the creative team behind the sixth installment for their unique vision. "We have the same team reprising [their roles behind the scenes]. In the fifth movie, there was a lot of pressure [with it being] the first without [late director] Wes [Craven] and they were still trying to honor him," she continued. "[They were trying to make] something that still felt familiar but had their own touch. ... Now they're putting a little more of their sauce into it and it just feels scarier."

Credit: Courtesy of Scream Movies/Instagram

Has Hayden Panettiere Returned Started Filming?

The film’s official social media pages teased that the Ice Princess actress was on set, sharing a behind-the-scenes pic of Panettiere reading in a makeup chair.

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Could David Arquette Come Back as Dewey?

While the actor's beloved character (spoiler!) ultimately met his demise against Ghostface in the fifth installment of the franchise, the actor teased a hypothetical return in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly in November 2022.

“Oh my gosh, I don’t know," the Eight Legged Freaks star said about a potential comeback, whether in a flashback or a plot twist. "I love playing the character and I love being part of that world and so I wouldn’t take anything off the table. That’s for sure.”

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Will There Be More Gore in ‘Scream VI’?

During an interview with Collider in December 2022, Barrera revealed that the sixth installment of the franchise will be a lot bloodier than fans are used to seeing.

“There was a saying on set because [directors] Matt [Bettinelli-Olpin] and Tyler [Gillett] were always asking for more blood and more sweat,” she explained. “They always just wanted more. ‘More blood spritz’ was the saying because they would just always want more. With the last Scream, they were tip-toeing and trying to be very respectful of what the franchise had been, up until that point, and keeping their inner gory dreams at bay. But with this one, they were like, 'We're going all out.' It's potentially a hundred times gorier.”

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A Scary New Setting

The Scream VI cast dished on how the film's New York City setting will make it feel different from past installments.

"These kids are running away, and Ghostface is still finding them in the most beautiful city but also the most terrifying because it's so crowded and it can be aggressive," Barrera told Entertainment Weekly in January 2023.

Cox, for her part, added: "Bringing Ghostface to New York adds an entirely new element to the story. Taking the character out of a small town and putting them in the heart of the city that never sleeps is more terrifying than ever."

Credit: Philippe Bossé/Paramount Pictures (2)

What Did the 1st Look at the Movie Reveal?

The official trailer for the film, which was released in January 2023, showed Sam and Tara seeking out help from Gale and Kirby after Ghostface attacks them in New York City. Based on the clip, the serial killer is singling out Cox's character before they reunite with Kirby. 

"This isn't like any other Ghostface," Panettiere's character says to the others. 

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Will There Be Easter Eggs in ‘Scream VI’?

Segarra gushed over joining the Scream franchise, telling Entertainment Tonight in January 2023 what a “huge honor” it was to be cast. 

“It's something that I had so much fun working on," he explained, noting he was a fan before getting the role of David. "I remember vividly seeing Scream one. I remember what buddies I was with. We were all terrified." 

 When it comes to what fans can expect from the newest installment, Segarra teased: "All those Easter eggs [directors] Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett popped in there. When we were shooting that subway scene, just seeing all the little Easter eggs and how excited everybody was to be working on it. It was such a fun time." 

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What Has Courteney Cox Teased About Gale's Role in the Movie?

“I have a really good scene with Ghostface and it was amazing," Cox told Variety in February 2023. "I’ve obviously been stabbed many times and all that, but this time, to work with Ghostface and not know who’s under the mask, it was really fun. Usually by the time I’m getting stabbed, I know who it is.”

In the latest iteration of the franchise, Gale "still lives in New York, which is great because now the killer’s in New York, just as Sam and Tara have moved there," she added. "It kind of fell right into her lap. She wrote a book afterward. She told Sam that she wouldn’t and then of course she did because I mean, someone was going to do it. So, she had to."

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How Did Courteney Cox React to Seeing the Movie on the Big Screen?

“I was excited, I was scared. Even if I know every single person and what’s gonna happen and why and when, I won’t look. It’s so realistic," she teased in her February 2023 interview with Variety. "And I laughed! I cared.”

Credit: YouTube

Demi Lovato Faces Off Against Ghostface

Lovato brought her vocals to the Scream VI soundtrack, dropping the music video for "Still Alive" — interspersed with clips from the movie — in March 2023. The rock-heavy song was produced by Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda. In the final scene of the music video, the "Substance" singer, clad in all black, holds a bloody knife in her hand as the camera zooms out to reveal she's hovering over Ghostface as fans watch the scene unfold on the big screen.