Development Prior to the release of
Scream 4 (2011), series creator
Kevin Williamson claimed he had already "mapped out"
Scream 5 and
Scream 6, but would wait to see the box office success of the fourth installment before signing on for any more films. In July 2014, Williamson revealed that
Scream 4 was intended to kick off a new trilogy of films, but the film "never took off in a way they hoped". Williamson also said that he would likely not be involved in any further entries, as the series director
Wes Craven and his team were "done" with him. In Williamson's initial
pitch,
Scream 5 saw
Jill Roberts being stalked by a killer at her college campus, while
Scream 6 would feature Gale Weathers as the main character and deal with her relationship with Dewey Riley. In January 2022,
Neve Campbell,
David Arquette,
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and
Tyler Gillett expressed interest in making future films in the series.
Courteney Cox would later express an interest in a sequel while doing publicity for
Shining Vale. A sixth film was officially green-lit on February 3, 2022, by
Spyglass Media Group. Olpin and Gillett of
Radio Silence would return to direct while
James Vanderbilt and
Guy Busick would write the script once again. By the end of the month, Campbell was approached to return for the film. The following month, Cox had received the script and was courted to reprise her role. Also in March, the sixth film's release date was set for March 31, 2023. A few weeks later, plot details emerged, setting the film outside of Woodsboro. By June, it was announced the film would take place in New York City. Ortega said the film would feature a more "aggressive and violent" Ghostface than in previous entries.
Casting reprised her role as Kirby Reed. In May 2022, it was announced that
Melissa Barrera,
Jasmin Savoy Brown,
Mason Gooding, and
Jenna Ortega would all return for the sixth film. The following day, it was announced that
Hayden Panettiere would reprise her role of Kirby Reed from the
fourth film. When asked about her involvement in the film, Cox claimed that her contract was not yet completed. Also in June, it was announced that
Dermot Mulroney had joined the cast, playing a police officer, and Cox officially confirmed her involvement with the film. On June 16,
Jack Champion,
Liana Liberato,
Devyn Nekoda and
Josh Segarra joined the cast, followed by
Henry Czerny on June 23.
Samara Weaving and
Tony Revolori were both announced as cast members on July 14.
Neve Campbell's involvement On June 6, 2022, it was announced Neve Campbell would not be returning as Sidney Prescott for the sixth film. The actress made a statement about how her contract and salary negotiations had stalled with
Paramount Pictures: {{Blockquote Campbell expanded on her statement a few weeks later, saying she could not bear "walking on set and feeling undervalued" and that the offer would have been different had she been a man.
IndieWire noted Campbell had spent 26 years acting in the franchise and announced it was "the end of an era".
David Arquette stated, "I'd love for her to be a part of it. A
Scream movie without Sidney is kind of unfortunate, but I understand her decision. It's all a business in a way, they have to balance all these elements to fit a budget and produce a film." Jasmin Savoy Brown and Melissa Barreraas well as former
Scream co-stars
Emma Roberts,
Sarah Michelle Gellar,
Matthew Lillard, and
Jamie Kennedyalso expressed their support for Campbell's decision and praised her contributions to the series. In March 2023, Courteney Cox told
Variety that she missed working with Campbell on the movie but was going to "support whatever she feels is right". Even though she would not be in the film, it was said the script still contained references to and was "protective" of the Sidney character. In December 2022, Radio Silence Productions commented on Campbell's absence, saying her absence affected the script "greatly."
Filming Principal photography began on June 9, 2022, in
Montreal, Canada. Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein and William Sherak produced under Project X Entertainment, while
Chad Villella,
Cathy Konrad,
Marianne Maddalena and Williamson served as executive producers. Hayden Panettiere posed for a set photo on August 6, along with Jasmin Savoy Brown, that was picked up by various media outlets given her return to the franchise. Courteney Cox revealed she had finished filming her part as of August 14. Filming ended in late August. The subway scene was done without a green screen, largely relying on practical effects. According to director of photography Brett Jutkiewicz, "The special effects team was actually able to tow the car into and out of our subway platform set. So, there's some brief moments when you can see the car stopping at a station. That's actually practical. It's being pulled from a black fabric tunnel onto our subway platform set and you can actually see it pulling in." However, Jutkiewicz did originally protest the subway train flicker effects: "I definitely said to the directors, 'Is that too much? It's not totally realistic that it would flicker that much.' And they were like, 'No, we love it. It works.' And I think that's the whole thing about this film: we're creating this heightened naturalism where, even if something isn't super true to reality, we wanted it to be true enough to make you feel like you are in these environments while we heighten the experience and lean into the tension and the emotional experience the characters are going through." The film's climax features a projection of a fictional movie made by the character Richie Kirsch. Some of the footage shown is actually from actor
Jack Quaid's real-life home videos, interspliced with footage for the film, with voiceovers also provided by Quaid. The film features many homages and items from previous films inside the theater museum. The items used were not actually the original props from previous films but rather were recreated by the film's art and costume departments. ==Music==