Scream: Gale Weathers News Report Recaps First Four Films in the Franchise

The upcoming Scream marks the fifth entry in the series, which might not be as large a number of some of its slasher peers, but with it having been a decade since the last installment, it’s entirely possible some fans have forgotten the events of its predecessors. Luckily, an in-universe news report from Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) that mirrors a contemporary true-crime broadcast recaps the murders that have plagued the town of Woodsboro and followed Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) for decades. You can check out the new featurette below before the new Scream lands in theaters on January 14th.

Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (‘Sidney Prescott’), Courteney Cox (‘Gale Weathers’), and David Arquette (‘Dewey Riley’) return to their iconic roles in Scream alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar.

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This new film comes from Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, marking the first installment in the series to have not been directed by Wes Craven, who passed away in 2015. Rather than serving as a sendoff to the series, Gillett previously hinted that this could merely be the beginning of a new series of films for the franchise.

“This new cast of characters is so wonderful. The legacy cast, they’re so wonderful,” Gillett recalled to Total Film. “I think what we discovered, and what [screenwriters] Guy [Busick] and James [Vanderbilt] did, is they found a real reason for the next story to exist. We know that there is more gas in the tank. There are more stories to be told in Woodsboro, and about these characters, for sure.”

In addition to familiar cast members returning for this latest sequel, there were also some familiar faces behind the scenes, which includes original writer Kevin Williamson serving as a producer.

“I read the script. I spoke up when I felt like I should, and I kept my mouth shut when I felt I should,” Williamson confirmed to the outlet. “Whenever they had a question, I was there. It’s their script. It’s beautiful. It’s the fabric and DNA of Scream. I think the filmmakers have the DNA of this franchise in their soul. I think they understand Wes Craven, and his filmmaking. I felt like I was not needed, but I’m so happy I got to go along for the ride.”

Check out Scream when it lands in theaters on January 14th.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!