How Scream 5 Directors Convinced Neve Campbell to Return Despite Wes Craven’s Death

Director Wes Craven helmed all four films in the Scream franchise and served as the executive producer of Scream: The TV Series, leaving an immeasurable mark on the series, with star of the film Neve Campbell recently detailing how Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett convinced her to join the sequel, despite Craven having passed away back in 2015. Given the impact Craven left on the franchise, fans weren’t the only ones curious about how any filmmaker could attempt to replicate his successes, with even Campbell concerned about their approach, only to be won over by the pair to join the upcoming Scream 5.

“I had been really apprehensive about doing another one,” Campbell revealed to Jamie Lee Curtis for a Variety conversation. “People had asked in the past whether I would do another one without Wes or whether I would make another one. I always felt like it’d be too difficult to do it without Wes. He was the master of these films. He did such a beautiful job on them. We were a family.”

With Craven having directed not only the Scream films, but also delivering audiences projects like The Last House on the Left, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and The People Under the Stairs, his vision for the genre left a major impact on audiences, as well as on the filmmakers themselves.

“They actually wrote me a letter and they said they basically are directors because of these films,” the actress detailed. “They are directors because of Wes Craven and they’re really so excited to be a part of these films and what an honor it is to do them, and that they really want to do justice to Wes and honor his legacy.”

She added, “That meant a lot. That letter meant a lot to me. Then I went and watched one of their films and it’s brilliant and in keeping in tone. So I thought, ‘You know what, I can do this.’ I think this could be a lot of fun and a good idea. These are people who are doing it for the love of these films. So that meant something.”

Campbell isn’t the only core cast member returning to the series, as she’ll be joined by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, with the three being the only performers to have starred in all four entries in the original film series.

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

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