Scream 4 has just killed off a major player.  Zap2It reports that "significant script changes have created some tension on the set" and that screenwriter/series co-creator Kevin Williamson has left the project.  This follows the news that Lauren Graham dropped out after her role was reduced to almost nothing and Hayden Panettiere's is "beyond frustrated" that her part was "dumbed down significantly."  In an attempt to stop the bleeding, screenwriter Ehren Kruger has come on board to handle the script.  Kruger penned the screenplay for Scream 3 and most recently wrote the script for Transformers 3 (he was also a co-writer on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen).

Williamson is reportedly out of the project entirely so I wouldn't count on his continued participation for Scream 5 and Scream 6, which he was working on according to Wes Craven.  Hit the jump for a list of people still involved with Scream 4, which hits theaters on April 15, 2011. [UPDATE - New details on the current situation after the jump.]

UPDATE: Shock Till You Drop reports that Williamson isn't "out", but is working on the second season of the CW's Vampire Diaries.  As for Graham, it also looks like a scheduling conflict as she's off to shoot the second season of NBC's Parenthood.

Furthermore, I may have misread Zap2It's story.  They don't make it clear if the controversial script changes were from Williamson and Kruger had to be brought in for a clean up or if Kruger is responsible for the changes that are frustrating Panettiere

Wes Craven will return to direct that once against the plot centers on a masked killer running around and killing folks.  Original stars Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette will all be returning.  Here's a list of the new characters:

  • Emma Roberts: Jill, cousin of Neve Campbell's character and the film's protagonist.
  • Hayden Panettiere: Jill’s nerdy best friend.
  • Rory Culkin: Jill’s love interest.
  • Adam Brody: A cop recently graduated from college who was raised on the CSI TV series.
  • Marley Shelton: A deputy cop who knew Sidney in high school.
  • Erik Knudsen: A character who is familiar with horror movie conventions and a provider of comic relief, similar to the role Jamie Kennedy played in the first two films.

As we reported yesterday, Alison Brie and Mary McDonnell have joined the cast but their roles are currently unknown.

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