Genre: Horror/Sequel.
Studio:
Miramax/Dimension Films
Production Company:
Dimension Films.
Project Phase: Development Hell.
Who's In It:
Unknown.
Who's Making It:
Wes Craven (Director); Kevin Williamson (Screenwriter, unsigned but still being pursued by Miramax).
Premise: Presumably some kids run around and some of them get killed. But it's just a hunch.
Release Date: December 1999.
Comments: According to Kevin Williamson, Scream was always seen as a series of three films. The screenwriter says, "I always envisioned it as the Star Wars trilogy of horror." There is some concern that Scream might go the way of all other extended horror franchises and overplay their cinematic hand (for instance - oh hell, pick any of them), but if Wes keeps the same creative staff and crew on hand as he has with Scream 2, then all might still be well.
Rumors: Will Neve Campbell come back one final time? Will Kevin Williamson come back to write the sequel?
Scoop Feedback:
July 9, 1997... [Page draft written in blood and submitted via stalking by 'widgett']
Kevin Williamson has told Miramax that the script for the third installment should be in their hands by this coming April.
Since the only thing we know at present is that someone will get the trademark boot (or knife, as the case may be) in the opening moments of the film, names are already being tossed around as to who will get whacked. Alicia Silverstone has been one name overheard, Liv Tyler another. [Scoop phoned in using that nifty "voice box" thing by 'widgett'.]
September 23, 1997... In a development sure to upset someone connected to the Scream franchise who surfs here, our scooper tells us that Matthew Lillard (Stu from the first Scream) is set to return in the third installment. At the wrap party for the picture Dead Man's Curve in Baltimore, he let it slip that he would be returning for the third Scream movie as Stu's 'twin brother'. This would indicate that at least the story outline is fairly solid and ready to advance ahead soon. Apparently, Wes Craven might let Kevin Williamson direct the third picture as well. [Information submitted by 'mev3'.]
November 10, 1997... The whole script hasn't been finished just yet by Kevin Williamson. According to the scooper, Wes Craven is still contemplating about sitting this one out and letting Williamson take the helm. [Thank to 'Indy'.]
December 23, 1997... After the December record breaking debut of Scream 2 ($33 million on its first opening weekend), you can bet Williamson is pounding away on the ol' word processor. But our scooper at Syracuse University tells us something else: "I live on the same floor as a friend of mine who works at Miramax. She is an intern, and has lots of nice tid bits of information. You can believe my surprise when she produced a copy of the treatment for Scream 2 weeks before it came out. Anyway, according to her, the script for Scream 3 has already been written. Screw this due in April thing!" [Holiday slashing cheer to 'Hollywood' -- study hard or get killed in the exams.]
January 6, 1997... "Can we say Stab 2? (based on the best selling book by Cotton Weary)" is how this scooper begins their email to us, name-dropping people like Teri Hatcher to portray Gale in the Stab 2 movie, and Alicia Silverstone as Cici.
The scooper also tells us Ms.Prescott will become a major figure in a huge court case (said to be presented to be even bigger than the O.J. Simpson trial.) A possible tag line for the Stab 2 film-within-a-film: 'It's gonna hurt even more...' [Another one of those darn anonymous notes scribbed in blood and tacked on Corona's front door by a bowie knife; you darn kids, we told you it just ain't funny anymore! Go home!!]
January 25, 1998... This scooper claims his friend just got cast in the upcoming Scream 3 film (slated to start filming in early March, they say.) Anyway, their friend said most of the characters names are inspired by the villains from slasher films...Michael, Freddy, Jason and so on. Freddy is the brother of Skeet Ulrich's character from the original Scream. [Gracias to 'Timvitotv'.]
January 27, 1998... Another rumor is making the rounds, and we've got to put a SPOILER WARNING on this one due to its possible revealing content. You have been warned...
Word has it Christopher Walken is being considered for a part in the second sequel. Walken's role could be very small and to-the-point, though: the scooper was told Walken might play Cotton Weary in the movie-within-the-movie, appearing in only one small scene. However (and here's the kicker), at the end of the movie, Walken (as himself) comes out of nowhere and reveals himself as the true killer. "Who did you expect?" or something along those lines, will be his big punchline at the end, before he gets killed by Neve Campbell. Even though the scooper questions the validity of finding out something this major this soon about Scream 3, they think it's a fabulous idea. "He's a movie star; he's got a cell phone, right?" [Scooped by 'SRG'; with thanks to 'Thuran22' for reminding us of the obvious.] END SPOILER WARNING
Tag lines sent in by someone anonymous, which may or may not be considered for the film's tag line:
"Someone's taken the meaning 'legal thriller' one step too far"
"Someone's taken their love of trilogies one step too far"
"Solving this case is going to be murder"
[Sent in anonymously.]
February 3, 1998... Just got sent this scoop. Could be legit, could be someone's idea of a joke. But then that's why we're here:
"The film begins with a very familiar young actor sitting down watching a horror movie at home. The power goes out (because of a storm). We cut to the bushes outside moving in the wind. [The house is by a lake] We see the guy inside through the window. He's found a flashlight and goes to call the power company. Then, he hears a footstep behind him. He turns around. He jumps. 'Man, what the hell - ", a knife stabs him. 'Cut!' shouts a new voice. We then see thta a movie is being filmed. However, the actor does not move. He really has been killed. A very familiar young actress, realizing the fact that the actor is dead, screams.
CUT TO -
TITLE
'Scream 3'
[Sent anonymously.]
February 10, 1998... "It's not a well known young actress who gets killed at the start of this film. It's a well known young actor playing himself." [Anonymous.]
February 12, 1998... Someone tells us the spoilers are coming from a Miramax executive...but without any concrete contact with either person, we can't confirm or deny it (but try to keep the 'can't confirm' part in the forefront of your thoughts.) Still, the scooper also reports that Neil Prescott (?), a Stab 2 character and another individual would be majorly involved with the film's storyline. [Sent by 'Cutter'.]
But if we're receiving scoops from someone in Miramax, how come we're getting conflicting emails? Because you can't trust which person is scooping you the truth if you can't confirm their identity, can you? Which is why we've been told the young actor who'll get killed off in the opening scene of Scream 3 will be either Jermey London ['Jacob T.'] or rising star Matt Damon ["...he was seen recently at a New England restaurant, with none other than Wes Craven. My money is that Damon gets the infamous opening Scream death scene... -- 'Red Dawn'.]
Another anonymous email reports that casting is slated to start at the end of April, and that some cast members from Dawson's Creek may appear in the film. The plotline about a movie based on the events in Sydney's past was again re-iterated. [Anonymous.]
February 14, 1998... It looks like there's about five actors on the short list for the role of the next cadaver. 'Cutter' maintains that he's heard Matt Damon is the name on the top of the list, but we've also received this data packet from longtime scooper 'Dr. Strangelove'...
"Quentin Tarantino may do a cameo playing like the director of the horror film within the horror film. Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Clare Danes are being talk for the people to be killed in the first ten minutes along with Damon."
That jives with the info we've been hearing, but another one of our agents-in-the-know told us this:
"I'm surprised to hear that Matt Damon was talking to Wes Craven, an 'assistant' at Dimension that I know, told me that they were talking to Ben Affleck for a smalll role and that he was interested but dumped the idea last month, once Good Will Hunting broke out."
February 23, 1998... We've been told that our Christopher Walken is incorrect; Walken will not be the killer in Scream 3. And all of the script plots on here are also erroneous since Kevin Williamson has just began to write the script. [Reported by 'KLW6131941'.]
March 4, 1998... We keep receiving this tag line for the movie anonymously: 'Someone is taking this premise too far...' Hmm. [Anonymous.]
April 11, 1998... CA's been told that Alicia Silverstone has been approached about playing the role of a snotty movie actress who works with the character of Sydney in Hollywood in Scream 3. After Alicia's character is killed, Sydney steps in to play her role. "The third Scream installment will poke fun on the making of horror films like Scream poked fun at horror movies and Scream 2 poked fun at sequels," our scooper said. They also warned us there's talk that Liv Tyler may play Sydney in the third movie because Neve Cambell has hinted she may not wish to reprise the character. ['Jayvee28'.]
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May 12, 1998... According to our scooper, who knows someone in the upper echelons of Miramax, the studio wants
Scream 3 to come out around Christmas of '99. This is being done for two reasons (guess which one is
the secretive one). Supposedly, the scooper was told Miramax wants to continue the holiday horror theme and keep releasing
Scream films during the holiday season. Unofficially, the studio wants to give room to Neve Campbell to pursue
another film she wants to star in; this way, they want to keep their leading lady happy so she won't feel like she's
being typecast in the Scream films. If everyone keeps smiling, Neve could be screaming again come next
summer. [Submitted by anonymous.] July 1, 1998... Thanks to this reader we can now see the teaser poster Miramax is using to build interest in the project. Studios regularly use these sorts of posters to raise the awareness of their films even though the project isn't even scheduled to begin shooting yet. [Poster submitted by Cheryl Graves.]
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July 9, 1998... Garth Franklin's Dark Horizons site has been scooping the dish out about this project for more than a week now. Franklin's reported that series star Neve Campbell told the Calgary Sun newspaper that she doesn't want to become typecast as a horror actress. That's the first published article that confirms the rumors of Campbell being wary of starring in a third Scream. [Originally appeared on Dark Horizons.]
Meanwhile, we've heard a rumor that Charisma Carpenter (who plays Cordelia on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) may be cast as one of the new supporting characters, a bitchy horror movie actress that gets caught up in all the new murder mayhem. [Anonymous.]
July 26, 1998... It's been reported on various movie Web sites that Williamson's script for Scream 3 should be ready sometimes early next year, in time for filming to take place in April '99. Whether Neve Campbell returns to the role of Sydney or not remains to be seen; however, Williamson says that he's planned for a contingency that doesn't require Sydney to be in the new story. It's rumored that the storyline would follow the actress who'd play Sydney in a 'Stab' sequel to the events depicted in Scream 2...which would complicate things even further... [Sent in by 'DPW'.]
August 18, 1998... At a Saturday afternoon panel at the San Diego Comic Convention, Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson was on hand to discuss his many projects. When the subject of him choosing to write the second sequel to Scream inevitably arose Williamson remained aloof; in our opinion he didn't want to either say he would or wouldn't consider it. (Dollar signs, anyone?) Nevertheless, Williamson did reveal to the crowd that his assistant released three fake endings to Scream 2 to the 'net last year. "Don't trust anything you read on the 'net!" was Williamson's reply to one audience member who asked him about a rumor they had read on the information highway. Coming from someone who himself said he "doesn't have enough time to write anymore," we here at CA took his comments directed at this and other movie 'net sites a little bit personal. Hey Kev, if you're really that busy doin' your projects why don't you get your assistant to actually help us and your fans out instead of screwing around with their heads? [Reported by Patrick Sauriol, who really has better things to do than weed out a certain assistant's multiple email addresses.]
September 21, 1998...It looks like the aforementioned contingency plan that Williamson had in mind for the script may be coming into focus. It looks like Neve Campbell may be out, since he's saying now he'd like to have the third movie focus on someone besides Sydney. He's thinking of having the third chapter focus more on Cox's Gale Weathers character. [Scoop submitted anonymously.]
September 22, 1998... Finally, we can quit squabbling over the whole Neve Campbell is-she-in-or-is-she-not thing and get down to some serious casting rumors. Corona has been told "...Kevin Williamson is interested in signing WWF champ and all-around swell guy 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin for a bit part as a policeman in the new film. But since we know we CAN'T TRUST ANYTHING WE READ ON THE 'NET!!...take it with a grain of salt." We've got a salt lick handy for just such an occasion, buddy--do not fear. [Thank 'nocreativity316' for this one. You heard me.]
September 24, 1998... An anonymous scooper tells us that Neve Campbell does what to partake of the final Scream chapter, but wants to die during the course of the film. Neve, you should know the horror movie rule by now: not even death will save you from a Scream 4 if the money's there. [Scoop handed in anonymously.]
September 27, 1998... This scooper gets an "A" in presentation, anyway. Here's yet another rumor regarding Neve--is she in, is she out? This scooper is being held at knifepoint by Mr. Ghostface as we speak, so I can't reveal too much or he'll let me have it...but, I've heard from several webpages, and also seen mentioned in various magazines that Neve Campbell WILL appear in "Scream 3", but only in a sort of cameo role...you see, Williamson HAS decided that the neew script will focus on Gale Weathers and her investigation of a murder of someone very close to her...who?...Sydney Prescott. Several sources say Neve WILL cameo in the film, but only as the "big star" that gets killed in the beginning of the film. It's been rumored that Sydney's death scene will be the opening of the film (played out very tragically and sadly, like the first two films, but even more so since Sydney means so muich to the "Scream" series) and that FatherDeath will somehow connect his slaying of Sydney to Gale...sort of like a "psycho-stalker tribute/gift" to Gale...uh-oh...now I've made Ghosty angry...oh no...he says he's going to.." Here the scooper was cut off. But at least he finished his scoop and started rumor mills churning again before he bought the farm. Now THAT's dedication to the cause, people. Still, is this gospel or just Williamson and company trying to mess with our heads again? [Send flowers to your favorite charity in honor of 'rvelasco']
October 2, 1998... This anonymous scoop was found nailed to our pet goldfish. Don't ask. "Don't believe the rumours That Sydney is going to be killed off in Scream 3.Wes has made it clear that he wants Sydney to have a happy ending,And Neve Campbell will be back.she just ink a deal with Miramax to not only star In Scream 3,but to distribute the independent movie she and her brother produce called Hairshirt.the Deal also includes Miramax to have first look at anything the dynamic dual will produced in the near future." It is true that Neve and Christian have produced the film Hairshirt. Seems like an interesting way to get her on board, anyway... [Scoop mailed in by 'anonymous']
October 11, 1998...We've received a report that Williamson is done with his scribing duties and is just waiting for Neve to make up her mind whether she's in or out. The shooting is scheduled to begin in February of next year. [Bloody scoop handed in by Alex Goddard]
October 18, 1998...We received this slip of paper via a stale fortune cookie. "A rumor that Drew Barrymore will make a cameo at the end of Scream 3 as a reporter is popping up on quite a few fan sites. Of course, it's impossible to confirm signed actors, since the movie HASN'T EVEN BEEN WRITTEN YET (no, it hasn't, it really hasn't)!" It seems to me the whole Neve in-or-out thing would need to be figured out before you started messing with cameos, yeah. [Scoop provided anonymously.]
Of course, the major news that broke last week was Wes Craven's deal with Miramax. Not only will it be enough for Mr. Craven to purchase a couple of Hollywood homes if he so desires but he's contractually obligated to direct Scream 3. Cemented!
October 20, 1998... Another scooper writes in to tell us that Campbell, Cox and Arquette are all close to signing. Silverstone and Tyler are still contenders for the coveted "death cameo." Reese Witherspoon and Charisma Carpenter (as already mentioned) are looking at supporting roles. Don't expect Kennedy, Ulrich and Lilliard to return. As for the idea that someone from Dawson's Creek would be in the cast, through a process of elimination he figures it will be James Van Der Beek, and he'll be the next piece of fodder--I mean, Sydney's boyfriend. Sorry. [Rumor-laiden scoop provided anonymously]
And this scooper has character names, even. "James Van Der Beek as Dave; Seth Green as Peter; Charisma Carpenter as Audrey Moore and Paula Marshall as Missy. Let's just say I'm close to Craven" Believe it or not, I guess. [Another eeriely anonymous scooper scooped us.]
Which is interesting, because this scooper ain't buying it. "Kevin has not even begun his scribing dutoes on this film. He has just been signed and begins pening the script in January. They'll shoot in May." [Opposing rumor brought to you by 'scooterbrw'.]
October 29, 1998... We were just scooped that Percy Miller (A.K.A. Master P, the head of No Limit Records label) is apparently going to be trying out for a part in Scream 3. "Trust that this will be a small role," our scooper said about Miller's try out. "He most likely will be seen in the first 30 minutes and that's it. In other words he gets killed." [Sent in by 'adama'. No relation to the Battlestar: Galactica character - we think.]
December 29, 1998... Who knows if these next couple are true or not? We sure don't but it makes for fine rumormongering material...and besides, they got on our good side by acknowleding our Scream 3 page has got to be full of baloney. So what's a little more meat on your sandwich, right??
"It appears Kevin Williamson is pissing Miramax officials off. He has promised to have the script for Scream 3 done several times and missed the deadlines. It was originally due back in April of 98 and he missed that. Then it was September. Missed that. Now he has missed the December deadline. It appears Kevin Williamson is trying to milk Scream 3 for all he can get. He has been sending bits and pieces to Miramax but never the complete script. So far all they have are a couple of key scenes. They do have an opening sequence, a new Casey Becker phone copycat scene, and a couple of others. But I guess those scenes that Kevin has been sending them aren't very good. Now studio officials are considering bringing in a new writer to pen the Scream 3 script and Wes Craven has already agreed to direct if the script is as good as the two previous ones. It appears though that Kevin Williamson is going with the storyline of Sidney Prescott getting killed in the opening sequence and Gale Weathers and the stars of 'Stab 2' becoming the stars of this film, which Bob and Harvey Weinstein don't like because they'd like to finish the trilogy with Sidney Precott (Neve Campbell) in the lead. They were also rather pissed because in the Casey Becker copycat phone scene, Kevin Williamson thought it would be cool to have a boy get offed in the scene instead, a cousin of Sidney Prescott's who is coming for her funeral and gets offed. Only the boy will be around 13 years old and nobody wants to see JTT in a Scream film.Oh, and the majority of the rumors on this page are fake, Master P isn't even considered for a role because there are no roles really completely written yet. But of course, you can't believe everything you read on the net so you might take this with a grain of salt. I'll be back with more scoops when everything around here is jiving."
[Anonymous got it fresh from the deli for us.]
"Twas some nights before Christmas, when all through the Miramax Chrismas Party, all creatures were stirring about Scream 3. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. In hopes that Father Death would soon be there. The executives were all smug in there predictions while visions of box office receipts danced in their heads
"Things heard throughout the night:
January 3, 1999... For your reading pleasure we present the following scoop:
"The Dec. 27th scoop on SCREAM 3, at least the first part, is utter bullshit. For many reason: A) Williamson is bound by contract to write it. B) He has the project outlined, or at least a solid idea of the storyline (so he says). C) He said in an OCTOBER interview he wouldn't BEGIN writing the film until 'the first of the year'.
"The April deadline was set before he put THE FACULTY and KILLING MRS. TINGLE into developtment. Bob Weinstein has the December 1999 date SET, so they let him do his other projects. So Williamson is not in trouble, especially because they asked him to do THE FACULTY, because it was from another script."
Thank goodness we can get the information from our readers. [Larry Jordi, we appreciate the assistance.]
That said, here comes an old fashioned, completely unprovable scoop: "There's a good chance you'll see Los Angeles Lakers 19-year old phenom, Kobe Bryant in Scream 3. I've sent this scoop before, so don't say I didn't warn you." Argh. ['Number Eight'.]
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