Scream VI Star Melissa Barrera Reveals She Shared Script Concerns With the Directors

By Jamie Jirak

Scream VI is here, and it follows the characters introduced in Scream (2022) as they start a new life in New York City. Melissa Barrera (Sam), Jenna Ortega (Tara), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy), and Mason Gooding (Chad) are back in addition to Scream 4's Hayden Panettiere (Kirby) and longtime franchise star Courteney Cox (Gale). The movie is fairing well with critics and audiences alike, but it did go through some script changes since it was announced last year. The movie focuses on Barrera's Sam and how the Internet has turned her into a villain, blaming her for the murders form the previous film. As Sam struggles with being the daughter of a serial killer, it's her relationship with her sister that keeps her grounded throughout the new film. Turns out, Barrera spoke with directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin about making sure Sam's story was told correctly. 

"So the script changed a lot from the first script that I got to the movie that we made," Barrera shared with Collider. "It was, I want to say, completely different. And we had a few sit downs, Matt and Tyler and I, and then with [screenwriters] Jamie [Vanderbilt] and Guy [Busick] because I really, really wanted to make sure that we explored Sam's psyche more and we got to know her deeply because that was a reason that I wanted to play Sam in the first place. The reason that I was attracted to her in Scream 5 was like, 'Oh my god, there's so much potential here. Where is she going to go?' And I wanted to make sure that in the sixth movie, we saw more layers to her."

Barrera continued, "It wasn't just the tough girl, the protective older sister that has all these walls up. I was like, 'What happens when those walls break down?' And we didn't get a chance to see that in the fifth one, so I was like, 'I want to make sure that she feels like a more real, well-rounded human. All these things, all these relationships and everything that happened to her in the fifth one, how are we going to explore that?' And I think the thing about Matt and Tyler being so great is that when I first spoke to them after reading the first draft, I was like, 'These are my concerns and I really want the audiences to get to know Sam more,' you know?"

Related:

Is Scream 7 Happening? 

Currently, there is no official word on if there will be another Scream movie. However, they announced Scream VI less than a month after the release of Scream (2022), and considering the new movie is expected to do well at the box office, we wouldn't be surprised if another film was announced soon. At Monday's red carpet premiere for Scream VI, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett revealed they'd love to return to the franchise once again with Scream VII. "We hope," Bettinelli-Olpin told Deadline. "We want to be watching Scream movies whether we're involved or not for the rest of our lives." Gillett added, "We're so happy it's back."

Scream VI is now playing in theaters. 

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