The Scream franchise has welcomed its first new cast member in a decade, as Mexican actress Melissa Barrera (Vida) has landed a plum role in Scream 5 according to Deadline.

Courteney Cox and David Arquette are set to reprise their roles as Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley, respectively, while Neve Campbell is in talks to return as Sidney Prescott. Barrera's role is being kept under wraps, so it's unclear whether she'll be the new "Scream queen," or the new killer. Anything is possible when it comes to this franchise, whether you're ready for it or not, pun intended.

Ready or Not filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence will direct from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) and Guy Busick (Castle Rock). Vanderbilt will produce with his Project X Entertainment partners Paul Neinstein and William Sherak, while Scream creator Kevin Williamson will executive produce with Radio Silence's Chad Villella.

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Image via Warner Bros.

Spyglass Media is mounting the latest Scream movie, which will be distributed by Paramount. Casting is currently heating up, as production is slated to start in Wilmington, North Carolina before the end of the year. Over the course of four slasher films, all directed by Wes Craven, the Scream franchise has grossed more than $600 million worldwide.

If there's one thing I'd like to see in Scream 5, it's some heart. Dewey lost his sister, Tatum. Sidney lost her mother, Maureen. Gale lost her cameraman, Kenny. It'd be nice to see the returning trio visit a cemetery at some point and grieve a bit, or at least acknowledge the terrible loss of their loved ones. Maybe one of their graves could have an ominous warning of some kind? Perhaps Sidney has kids of her own now, and she gives one of them Grandma's bracelet or something. I'm just saying, a little bit of pain (the emotional kind) would go a long way in a sequel like this.

Now that Vida has wrapped its acclaimed three-season run on Starz, Barrera is free to take on more high-profile movie roles. The up-and-coming actress will soon be seen as one of the leads in Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights movie, which Warner Bros. will release next summer, and she's also set to star in a modern-day adaptation of the classic opera Carmen, which will mark the feature directing debut of Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied. To watch the trailer for In the Heights, click here.