Scream 5 Filming Set Back After Crew Members Test Positive for COVID-19

Production officially kicked off yesterday on the upcoming fifth Scream movie, and they've already hit a COVID-19 related snag. According to a report from Deadline, Spyglass Media Group and Paramount's new sequel has had three crew members test positive for the coronavirus. Though a diagnosis like this has caused productions like The Batman to press the pause button, the crew members that tested positive for Scream 5 were reportedly not in the "primary pod" which includes the cast, director, assistant directors and DP. As a result, production will carry on and resume on Monday following a break over the weekend.

Plot details on the new movie are still being kept under wraps for the time being but it will seemingly pick up after the events of fourth film from 2011 since much of the cast from the franchise is set to return. Neve Campbell confirmed earlier this month that she'll return as the series' original final girl Sidney Prescott with co-stars David Arquette and Courteney Cox also returning as Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers, respectively.

Familiar faces aren't the only ones that fans will see in the sequel though as newcomers like Jack Quaid (The Boys), Melissa Barrera, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Kyle Gallner, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mikey Madison round out the cast of the film.

"It fits perfectly [in the franchise]," Ortega shared with Entertainment Tonight. "Also how incredible that we have the main cast coming back. That is insane to me ... throughout the years, the franchise has done really well at calling back and bringing some sort of nostalgic aspects to the script. I'll definitely say that there are some here."

We probably shouldn't expect to find out any specific details about the film's plot anytime soon, with Ortega adding that it's "super top secret," but as a fan of the franchise herself, she revealed she was "very, very pleased with how the script has been written and [with] everything that's to come."

The new sequel comes from Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, from a script by Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt. With the Radio Silence filmmakers stepping behind the camera for the movie, it marks the first time in the history of the Scream feature film franchise that a director other than Wes Craven helmed an entry in the slasher series.

The new Scream is set to hit theaters on January 14, 2022.