Scream VI Star Reveals They Were Initially Supposed to Die in Last Film
Mason Gooding's Chad Meeks-Martin joined the franchise alongside the franchise's new "Core Four" in last year's Scream requel. Though he's returning in Scream VI, that wasn't always supposed to be the case. All the way up until principal photography started, Gooding says he was under the belief his character was going to die.
"I was kind of bait-and-switched," the actor said in a new chat with Entertainment Weekly. "The script that I got the first time around said I died. I don't think you necessarily go into a Scream movie expecting to live every time. I just kind of accepted my fate. It wasn't until we began filming Scream 5 that I was told that I was going to survive and make it to the next one."
Meeks-Martin is gravely hurt in Scream (2022), but it's revealed he survived before the flick ends. Not only that, but so did his sister Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega).
"I didn't necessarily know that the 'Core Four' dynamic was going to take on the level of intimacy that it did, so to speak," Gooding added. "Nor did I think I was going to be as thrown off by the killer reveal as I was. People will see why when they watch the movie."
As for Scream VI, Gooding wouldn't budge on his character's fate this time around, saying he'd be excited about whatever happens to his character.
"What's cool about Scream is, you're happy either way," he concluded. "You either get a cool death or a really cool opportunity to come back, so either way I kind of win-win."
The sixth film in the beloved slasher franchise is currently shaping up to have the property's biggest opening weekend. It's also garnering generally positive reviews, opening on Rotten Tomatoes with an 81-percent Fresh rating.
Who is in the cast for Scream 6?
In addition to Gooding, Brown, Barrera, and Ortega, Courteney Cox will return once again as Gale Weathers, starring with actress Hayden Panettiere, reprising her Scream 4 role of Kirby Reed. Some newcomers will also appear including actor Dermot Mulroney and Mission: Impossible star Henry Czerny, plus Jack Champion (Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water), Liana Liberato (Light as a Feather), Devyn Nekoda (Sneakerella), and Josh Segarra (Arrow's Adrian Chase)
Scream 6 hits theaters on March 10th. What's your favorite entry the franchise to date? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter!