It’s been five years since legendary horror filmmaker Wes Craven passed away, but one of his most recognizable works is actually finding new life with Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett in production now on a fifth entry in the slasher series Scream. However, it seems that Craven’s absence is weighing heavily on the original cast members.
In a recent interview with ET Canada, David Arquette opened up about missing the late director and what it’s like not having Craven on-set after he helmed the first Scream movies. When reminded of some impactful words that Wes Craven said in a 1997 interview, Arquette got emotional.
In that older interview, Craven said, “When I’m around him, I feel this enormous sense of pain and longing for a simpler world — for love.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been having a really hard time lately missing him,” Arquette replied. “That’s such a beautiful thing to say. And, you know, I was tortured. My mother was dying around that time, so that was a really difficult and dark period. And it’s true. I do, like, long for a world of love.”
The fact that Wes Craven is no longer with us is a big talking point heading into Scream 5. It took months after co-stars Courteney Cox and David Arquette signed on for franchise lead Neve Campbell to commit to the film, repeatedly cited wanting to honor Craven’s memory as the reason for her hesitation. It wasn’t until the filmmakers behind this upcoming sequel wrote her a personal letter expressing their deep respect for the later filmmaker that Campbell ultimately decided to join the project.
Arquette, Campbell, and Cox all return to the franchise in this upcoming installment, and are are joined by Jenna Ortega (You, Jane the Virgin), Melissa Barrera (In the Heights), Jack Quaid (The Boys), Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why), Mason Gooding (Love, Victor), Mikey Madison (Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood), Kyle Gallner (Ghosts of War), Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers), newcomer Sonia Ammar, and Marley Shelton reprising her Scream 4 role as Deputy Judy Hicks.
Scream 5 is set for release on January 14th, 2022.
