Scream 6 Producers Weigh in on Possible TV Series
Based on the critical reactions and financial performances of both last year's Scream and now Scream VI, the franchise is back in a big way, but not all of the series' future could be unfolding on the big screen, with producers of the two films teasing that the narrative could pivot to a TV series. In the years following Scream 4, the last entry to be directed to Wes Craven, the concept was reimagined for a TV series. In fact, Craven himself served as a producer on the debut season, though he passed away shortly before that TV show premiered. Scream VI is in theaters now.
"In success, I think what [writer] Kevin and Wes created in Ghostface, because anybody can wear the mask, it kind of gives you the ability to have unlimited stories, right? You're not trying to figure out how to keep one specific character alive," producer William Sherak shared with Deadline. "It's always somebody new, so you have the ability to keep going. I will tell you, if they let us, we would love to. I think that's kind of the answer. The benefit that [producer] Paul [Neinstein] and I [have] that a lot of people don't have is...a genius partner who happens to be a writer."
The producer went on to detail that the current setting of his team's collaborating efforts is that he works quite closely with Scream and Scream VI writers Jamie Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, so whether they brainstorm a new sequel or a concept for a TV series, they don't have to enlist other creatives.
"But not everybody has the luxury of the office next door being held by somebody who actually sits with a whiteboard and creates ideas out of nowhere. So, we have that going for us that a lot of companies don't," Sherak pointed out. "We don't have to go outside to find that, and we are fortunate that Jamie, with Guy Busick -- who we've done a ton of stuff with, and will continue -- picked up that mantle when Gary Barber let us run with Scream for Spyglass...So, we have the benefit [that] in success, which we will continue to knock on wood and hope it happens, we don't have to go keep finding people to tell these stories. It's an in-house thing we get to build with Spyglass that I think gives us a leg up. I think [that] allows you to have a singular vision of how we want to control the world, so when you talk about TV and all that other stuff, any of that's possible because we don't have to go outside and find it. It's all sitting here, should the opportunities arise."
The first narrative in Scream: The TV Series ran for two seasons and earned a Halloween special, with that narrative serving more as a tonal homage to the films, including an entirely new Ghostface mask. The third season served as a reboot, with Scream: Resurrection embracing the movie-accurate Ghostface costume, with that season consisting of six episodes.
Stay tuned for details on the future of the Scream franchise. Scream VI is in theaters now.
Would you like to see the story pivot to a TV series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!