The next installment in the Scream franchise will be here sooner than you think. Co-directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Both have worked together on previous projects such as Ready or Not, as well as the most recent Scream (2022) film. The new movie, Scream VI, is written by James Vanderbilt and Gary Busick and based on characters by Kevin Williamson. The writers also collaborated with Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett on Ready or Not and the previous Scream movie, with Vanderbilt making a cameo appearance as the demon Mr. LeBail in Ready or Not.
Produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein, who were all credited as producers for the previous Scream, the new movie has been picked up by production companies Spyglass Media Group, Project X Entertainment, and Radio Silence Productions.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about the newest Scream movie and what it will be bringing to the table.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on March 7, 2023.
Is There A Trailer for Scream VI?
Scream VI released the teaser trailer on December 14, 2022. You can watch it below!
Since December, we only had a short teaser trailer to get an idea of what Scream VI will entail. But in January, we finally got the full official trailer to help flesh out some more of the plot and character involvement. You can watch it below!
As Ghostface says in the trailer, “there’s never been one like me,” and he couldn’t be more right! You can clearly see the new details on the mask as he stalks the Carpenter sisters in the convenience store, making him look grittier and more terrifying. Who is the new Ghostface, and what will he bring to the table in the new movie? That remains to be seen but the latest teaser for Scream VI was released on January 23. Check it out here:
The final trailer for Scream VI was released by Paramount on March 7, 2023. The trailer highlighted the film's rave reviews as well as a tense showdown between Gale Weathers and Ghostface.
What Is Scream VI About?
The original Scream from 1996 was one of the first horror movies to provide a “meta” experience in that the main characters were aware of common horror movie tropes and clichés. This allowed for comedic relief at times but also allowed characters to (try to) make smarter decisions as they attempted to figure out and stop whoever the Ghostface killer was.
Without giving away any serious spoilers from the 2022 version of Scream, which is the fifth installment of the franchise, the characters utilize their knowledge of horror movie tropes once again. They soon realize that the new murderer is making a “requel” or a “legacy-quel” of the fictional Stab films from previous installments, targeting characters who are in some way related to the characters from the original. In Mindy Meeks-Martin’s (Jasmin Savoy Brown) words, it’s basically “brand new characters being supported by legacy characters.”
Scream VI will pick up right where Scream (2022) ends, with the surviving Carpenter sisters Sam and Tara, and twins Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin moving to New York City to escape Woosdboro and its twisted past. They plan to start fresh in a new city but are quickly dragged into yet another meta-slasher-whodunnit scenario when a new Ghostface starts killing people around them. Similar to other recent “whodunnit” movies like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, fewer details surrounding the plot make the viewing experience better! The only solid clues we have to go off of are the cast members. Between “legacy” characters and new faces, who will be revealed as the new killer? Here's a synopsis of the film from Alamo Drafthouse:
Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter. In SCREAM VI, Melissa Barrera (“Sam Carpenter”), Jasmin Savoy Brown (“Mindy Meeks-Martin”), Mason Gooding (“Chad Meeks-Martin”), Jenna Ortega (“Tara Carpenter”), Hayden Panettiere (“Kirby Reed”), and Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) return to their roles in the franchise alongside Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving.
For those expecting Scream VI to be just another Scream movie, that certainly won't be the case as directors Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett told Collider that the film will go in directions that surprised even them:
“I think it was such a surprise to have Scream come back, to be involved in it, and I think we just knew that for as warm and comforting and as homage-y as the last one was, we had to take a really hard left turn for the next one, just to keep ourselves interested, right? To keep ourselves engaged and surprised. That's always been the compass; what is thrilling and fun and exciting to us? And hopefully people love the same thing."
Who's In the Scream VI Cast?
The cast list in any Scream movie is bound to be an ensemble situation, so we’ll break it down between new(ish) characters, “legacy” characters, and completely new characters to make it a little easier.
Jenna Ortega will reprise her role as Tara Carpenter. The titular star of Tim Burton’s Wednesday series is the newest addition to the “Scream Queen” hall of fame, thanks to her recent performances in the latest Scream movie, Studio 666, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and Ti West’s A24 horror, X.
Melissa Barrera will return in Scream VI as Sam Carpenter, Tara’s older sister. Her controversial lineage from the 2022 film makes her both a possible suspect and a potential victim in the newest film. Aside from the most recent Scream movie, Barrera is best known for her role as Liv Rivera in the television miniseries Keep Breathing. She also starred in the musical In The Heights as Vanessa, alongside Broadway’s Hamilton star, Anthony Ramos.
Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding will also be returning as twins Mindy and Chad Meeks-Martin, joining the Carpenter sisters in New York City. As Randy Meeks’ (Jamie Kennedy) niece and nephew, they also have a blood connection to one of the original film’s tragic victims. Gooding is best known as Andrew from the television series Love, Victor. Jasmin Savoy Brown is best known as the teenaged version of Taissa in Showtime’s television series Yellowjackets, which will have its second season premiere in late March 2023.
Courtney Cox maintains her role as Gale Weathers, the only character to have appeared in every installment of the Scream franchise. The Friends star initially started out as a secondary antagonist, before joining ranks with Sydney Prescott and falling in (and out of) love with David Arquette’s Scream character, Dewey.
Another Scream franchise alumni, Hayden Panettiere will return as Kirby Reed. Panettiere’s character in Scream 4 was considered an unconfirmed victim until the 2022 Scream revealed an Easter Egg surprise that her character survived after all. On August 6th, shortly before filming wrapped for Scream VI, she was seen on a set photo with Jasmin Savoy Brown, confirming her character’s return to the franchise.
As far as new faces go, Devyn Nekoda (Sneakerella), Josh Segarra (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), Liana Liberato (If I Stay), Jack Champion (Avatar: The Way of Water), and Tony Revolori (Spider-Man: No Way Home) will be introduced as new friends (or enemies) from New York City as Alison, David, Carly, and Gabe, respectively. Joined by Ready or Not’s lead actress, Samara Weaving, it’s still unclear what roles these characters will play in the newest Scream installment. Weaving’s character has not been named at the time, adding more mystery to her involvement.
In addition to these new characters, Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) will be joining the cast as police officer Williams, possibly taking the place of Dewey Riley. Accompanying him is Canadian actor Henry Czerny, who will be playing a character known as “Professor Freddie.” Czerny is best known for his role as Tony in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s previous film, Ready or Not.
Last, but certainly not least, the voice of the Ghostface killer will be the voice of Roger L. Jackson. Jackson has voiced the masked murderer in every Scream-related project since the 1996 original, as well as the 2019 spinoff television series, Scream: Resurrection.
Unfortunately, Sidney Prescott herself, Neve Campbell will not be returning to the sequel after a dispute involving her pay. She released the following statement:
“Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film. 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."
When and Where Did Scream VI Film?
Filming began on June 9th, 2022 in Montreal, Canada, and wrapped in late August, teasing anticipating audiences with strategically released photoshoots boasting new and returning characters
When Does Scream 6 Come Out (And How Long Is It?)
Scream VI was originally supposed to be released in the United States on March 31, 2023, but the horror movie gods have smiled upon us. Now slated for an earlier release on March 10th, the newest addition to the Scream franchise will debut a full three weeks earlier than expected. No word as of yet regarding when the film will be available to stream on Paramount’s streaming service, Paramount+, as well. As for the runtime, Scream VI is breaking records for the franchise with a length of 2 hours and 3 minutes, the longest in the series.
The 2022 Scream movie is available to watch on Paramount+. It’s worth a watch if you haven’t already seen it, especially before seeing the sixth Scream franchise installment, Scream VI, which has also been creatively marketed as ScreaIVI. The original 1996 film is also available (and recommended) to purchase and rent on demand.