David Arquette is confirmed to be returning as Sheriff Dewey Riley in the upcoming revival of ‘Scream’. Sheriff Dewey appeared in all four of the existing ‘Scream’ movies, which were released by Dimension Films. The new picture hails from Spyglass Media Group. The first four movies made a combined $608.5 million at the box office and helped revive the slasher genre in the ’90s.
Arquette himself stated:
“I am thrilled to be playing Dewey again and to reunite with my Scream family, old and new. Scream has been such a big part of my life, and for both the fans and myself, I look forward to honoring Wes Craven’s legacy.”
The new film will be co-written by James Vanderbilt (‘Murder Mystery’, ‘Zodiac’) and Guy Busick (‘Ready or Not’, ‘Castle Rock’) with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directing. Wes Craven directed all four of the original movies, with Kevin Williamson penning 1, 2, and 4. Ehren Kruger wrote the third. Williamson is attached as an executive producer of the new film.
Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are part of the filmmaking group Radio Silence, along with Chad Villella. In a joint statement, Radio Silence expressed:
“It’s impossible to fully express how much Wes Craven’s work and the Scream movies, in particular, mean to us as fans and have influenced us as storytellers. Kevin Williamson’s incredible stories have entertained and inspired us for decades and we’re insanely honored to have the opportunity to be a part of the cinematic world Wes and Kevin so brilliantly created together. Jamie and Guy’s amazing script does that legacy justice and we’re so excited to bring the next chapter of Scream to life.”
Williamson added:
“I’m excited to reteam with David and work with Jamie, Guy and Radio Silence on the next Scream. Their take on the movie is both original, inventive and honors Wes’ legacy in a wonderful way. Ready or Not was my favorite horror film of last year and I can’t wait to see what their amazing talents bring to the ‘Scream’ universe. I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
Finally, Vanderbilt said:
“Just the fact that we get to sit in a room with Kevin Williamson and talk about a new Scream movie is a dream come true for me. For years I’ve wanted to see a new Scream movie, and now we get to help make one. We want this to be a love letter to the movies Wes and Kevin created together and to the fans.”
Arquette’s Dewey, Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott, and Courtney Cox’s Gale Weathers are the only characters to appear in… and survive… all four of the original movies. The first ‘Scream’ was released in 1996, with ‘Scream 2’ arriving in 1997, ‘Scream 3’ in 2000, and ‘Scream 4’ in 2011. After meeting while making the first movie, Arquette and Cox were married, although they have since divorced.
It has recently been reported that Campbell was in talks for the upcoming sequel, although it doesn’t appear that she has officially signed on yet. It’s likely that Cox is also being courted to return.
In addition to the films, ‘Scream’ was also made into a TV series that ran for three seasons, originally on MTV, with the final season airing on VH1. However, the TV show was not connected to the movies.
Are you excited about this new ‘Scream’? Are you glad David Arquette will be back?
Source: Deadline
