TheScreamfranchise is bringing in new blood for its eighth installment.
Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman will write the screenplay forScream 8,Entertainment Weeklyhas learned. Deadline firstreportedthe news.Kevin Williamson, who directedScream 7and wrote four of the series' installments including the 1996 original, will not return to penScream 8.
The Zuckerman sisters recently served as the showrunners for Peacock'sPoker Face. They previously worked on shows likeAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,Prodigal Son,Suits,Haven,Human Target, andFringe.Scream 8will mark their first theatrical film project, though Nora wrote the 2008 TV movieNightmare at the End of the Hall.
The Zuckermans' names also should sound familiar toBuffy the Vampire Slayerfans, as they were heavily involved with the show's now-shelved revival,New Sunnydale. The siblings penned and executive produced the pilot for the proposedHuluseries, which broughtSarah Michelle Gellarback to play the title role and featuredNomadlandOscar winnerChloé Zhaoin the director's chair. However, Hulu ultimately pulled the plug on the project after production on the pilot was completed.
The Zuckermans will be the first women to write for theScreamfilm series, which has primarily revolved around female protagonists like Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera).
Advertisement
Scream 7was originally set to star Barrera andJenna Ortega, who were both introduced in 2022'sScream(the fifth installment). However, Barrera wasfired after expressing her views about the Israel-Hamas war, and Ortegaexited the filmbecause "it was all kind of falling apart." DirectorChristopher Landonthen departed the project after the cast shake-up.
After all of those developments, Campbell — who sat outScream VIdue to a pay dispute —announcedthat she and Williamson were returning to the franchise withScream 7.
Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.
Despite garnering the worst reviews of the series by a significant margin (it currently holds a 31% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 35/100 score on MetaCritic),Scream 7is now the highest-grossing entry in the franchise with over $200 million at the global box office to date.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
