Scream 5 Set Photos Reveal First Look at Courteney Cox Return

Gale Weathers is returning for yet another bout with Ghostface in the upcoming fifth installment of the Scream franchise. The popular reporter-turned-novelist, played by Friends star Courteney Cox, is one of just three characters to appear in each and every Scream film, and that trend will continue when the next chapter arrives in 2022. Production on Scream 5 is currently underway in Wilmington, North Carolina, and some early set photos have appeared online, showing off Gale’s return to the franchise.

The photos were released by Just Jared, and feature Cox in costume as Gale Weathers, surrounded by masked crew members. In the photos, Gale is donning a red suit and walking down the sidewalk, likely in the fictional town of Woodsboro, where the main characters of the franchise are from. You can take a look at the photos below.

Details about the plot of Scream 5 are being kept under wraps, but we do know that there will at least be four franchise characters returning for the new installment. In addition to Cox, David Arquette and Neve Campbell will be reprising their roles as Dewey and Sidney, respectively. Those three actors are the only ones to star in all of the existing Scream films. Also returning is Marley Shelton, whose Deputy Judy Hicks debuted in 2011’s Scream 4.

With production underway, the returning Scream icons are all getting back to the set and getting to work. Arquette had to make sure and get Dewey’s popular mustache back to full strength in order to properly play the character.

“Well, this mustache is just freshly cut for Dewey,” Arquette recently told ScreenRant. “I start it in less than a week. I’m really excited about it; to be teaming up with Courtney and Neve again, and carrying on Wes [Craven’s] legacy is really exciting for me. It’s gonna be sad, very bittersweet, without him there. But Radio Silence, they’re incredible filmmakers. They’re going to do a great job. They’ve been inspired by Wes, so it’s great to see his legacy continue.”

Scream 5 is being directed by Ready or Not helmers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Franchise creator and horror icon Wes Craven directed the previous four installments, but passed away in 2015.

In addition to the quartet of returning faces, Scream 5 will feature a cast that includes Jack Quaid, Jenna Ortega, Kale Gallner, Dylan Minnette, Mike Madison, Mason Gooding, Melissa Berrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar.

Scream 5 is set to arrive in theaters on January 14, 2022.