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The Latch

Ghostface Takes Manhattan: The Trailer for ‘Scream 6’ Is Here

February 7, 2023
scream 6 ghostface subway trailer
Paramount Pictures

The very first glimpse of Scream 6 is here, promising new thrills and chills as the Woodsboro gang heads to the Big Apple.

That’s right, Scream 6 is set in Manhattan and the first look teaser trailer features Scream (2022) survivors Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmine Savoy Brown) on a crowded subway.

Presumably set around Halloween, the subway scene is absolutely packed with nods to other iconic horror films, including a few very meta references, because it wouldn’t be a Scream film otherwise, right? Notably, there’s a woman dressed as Grace from Ready or Not, which was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett who are directing Scream 6. This one is especially noteworthy as Samara Weaving, who plays Grace in Ready or Not, is also starring in Scream 6.

There’s also a shot of someone dressed as the Babadook, which Tara said was her favourite horror film in Scream (2022), among a slew of other iconic horror characters, like Chucky, Jason Voorhees, Samara from The Ring, and more.

Even better, the full trailer for Scream 6 is below.

Watch the Scream 6 Trailer

Why Isn’t Neve Campbell in Scream 6?

Earlier in the year, Neve Campbell announced that after filming five Scream movies from 1996 to 2022, she would not be returning to the horror franchise for Scream 6, citing failed salary negotiations as the reason for her departure.

“Sadly I won’t be making the next Scream film,” Campbell said in a statement to Variety. “As a woman, I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”

Campbell went on to say that it has “been a very difficult decision” to move on from the franchise.

“To all my Scream fans, I love you,” she said. “You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years.”

Scream Stars Voice Support for Neve Campbell

When the news of Campbell’s departure broke, the actress received an outpouring of love from fans of the horror franchise, as well as her original co-stars Matthew Lillard and David Arquette.

Arquette, who played Dewey Riley for the first five films, told ComicBook that he’d “love for her to be a part of it”, adding: “A Scream movie without Sidney is kind of unfortunate, but I understand her decision.”

He continued: “It’s all a business in a way, they have to balance all these elements to fit a budget and produce a film. I get it, she’s still alive! She [can] absolutely be in future ones, but I think it’s up to fans to call for that in the future…. That is sudden, it’s a business, though. I respect her decision, for sure.”

Arquette later posted to his Instagram story, saying: “Let me be clear, I support Neve Campbell and think it’s a huge mistake not to have her in the new Scream.”

Lillard, who played Stu Macher in Scream, was more direct about his feelings while appearing on an episode of the Fireside Chat podcast.

“Did Tom Cruise take less money for [Top Gun] Maverick? F**k no,” Lillard said. “Why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn’t you pay her more as the series goes on?”

He continued: “Was Scream 5 a hit, or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did it make a s**t-ton of money? Yes. Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she’s done in five movies of the franchise? Yes, because she is the female lead of … one of the most successful horror franchises.”

Who Will Star in Scream 6?

With Campbell officially not returning, Scream 6 is set to officially usher in a new era of the franchise. Just because Sidney won’t be an onscreen character, though, doesn’t mean she’ll be missing from the story all together.

Gillett told Radio Times in April that the OG characters of Sidney and Gale Weathers are “such an integral part of the world of Scream.

“So whether they are there or not, they’re there, right?” Gillett said. “You can’t have a Scream movie without their influence, without this sense of what that legacy is. I will stop there before it gets too dangerous.”

While Campbell has turned the film down, Courteney Cox has signed on to reprise her role as Gale Weathers, so fans of the OG surviving trio won’t be left completely in the dust.

As for the ‘requel’s’ cast, all four of the Scream stars whose characters survived the fifth film — Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Melissa Barrera — have also signed on to reprise their roles as Tara, Mindy, Chad and Sam, respectively.

Interestingly, Hayden Panettiere has also been announced to reprise her Scream 4 role as Kirby Reed. Kirby was a fan favourite character who was thought to have died in 2011’s Scream 4, but director Wes Craven later said that he didn’t believe her character had really died, opening the door for her return.

Although Panettiere was absent from Scream, the filmmakers did leave eagle-eyed fans confirmation that her character was alive, in the form of a thumbnail on YouTube titled “Interview with Woodsboro Survivor Kirby Reed”:

As for new cast members, Dermot Mulroney has been announced to be joining the cast. The Hollywood Reporter states that he will be playing a cop in the new film.

Along with Mulroney, Scream 6 will welcome a slew of new names (and potential Ghostface victims) in Henry Czerny, Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda and Josh Segarra.

What Is Scream 6 About?

While details on the new sequel are scarce at the moment, Scream 6 is said to revolve around the four survivors of the new generation as they leave town to start a new chapter. As above, Scream 6 will be set in the Big Apple, which means we’re getting some kind of Ghostface Takes Manhattan caper. The first images from the set have hit Twitter, showing NYPD cars, as well as ambulance and news vans:

Fans are speculating that the film will be set at college and follow the requel concept by recreating elements from 1997’s Scream 2, but this is unconfirmed.

What people can expect, though, is for it to up the ante in a way only a requel-sequel can.

“I just read part of the script, and it just gets more and more gory,” Ortega recently told Entertainment Tonight. “I think that this is probably the most aggressive and violent version of Ghostface we’ve ever seen, which I think will really be fun to shoot.”

This little tidbit falls in line with Randy Meeks’ (Jamie Kennedy) Scream 2 speech about sequel rules, which, as a refresher, are as follows:

“Number one: the body count is always bigger. Number two: the death scenes are always much more elaborate – more blood, more gore – *carnage candy*. And number three: never, ever, under any circumstances, assume the killer is dead.”

When Is Scream 6 Coming Out in Australia?

Scream 6 is slated for release in Australia on March 9, 2023.

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