[from Entertainment Weekly, 7/11/97]

With a surprise hit and shots for more Wes Craven pursues a recurring nightmare. Drew Barrymore must be kicking herself. But when she agreed to be bloodily offered in the opening sequence of Scream, how could she possibly have known that Wes Craven's $14 million homage to the teens-in-peril genre would chug along to become the little slasher flick that could? Forget the return of Julia or the Force; Scream has become the movie story of the year: a $102.6 million-grossing franchise spawner that has enabled Miramax to cross over rarefild art house to sequel-happy grind house. Six months after its opening, not only is the film still doing respectable business in more than 400 theaters ($181,000 the weekend of June 27-29), but Craven and Scream's stars (Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox, among others) reunited in Atlanta June 16 to begin shooting Scream 2 Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Scream phenomenon is the feeding frenzy the sequel has sparked among Hollywood agents, all of whom are itching to get their rising stars the same hip exposure that Barrymore, Campbell, Cox, Arquette, and Skeet Ulrich garnered from the first film. Say a spokesman for Ulrich, "The visibility of Scream definitely affected his career." The jockeying for parts in the sequel was so cutthroat, says screenwriter Kevin Willamson, that "we had people come in and audition for the film who don't usually audition." Adds Craven: "Everybody wanted to be in the sequel. We were able to cast bit parts whit big stars." Consequently, Scream 2 has become a who's-who list of up-and-coming Gen-Xers: Jada Pinkett, Sliders' Jerry O'Connell, andBuffy the Vampire Slayer'sSarah Michelle Geller have all been cast. (According to a Miramax source, rising stars who tried to join but didn't make the cut included Lost Highway'2 Natasha Wagner, Welcome to the Dollhouse's Eric Mabius, and Chicago Sons' Paula Marshall.) Another sign that Scream has become the project du jour: Craven & Co. have been upgraded to a &23 million budget, and Miramax cochairman Bob Weinstein says he's gunning for a Dec. 12 opening, which would put Scream 2 in the path of such heavyweights as the next James Bond flick, Tomorrow Never Dies, and James Cameron's Titanic, both due Dec. 19. Says Weinstein confidently, "We already have a built-in audience for the sequel." But those other films won't be the first demons haunt Scream. In the wake of the film's unexpected success, rival studios and industry naysayers have taken aim. Last April, Sony appealed to the MPAA, contending that the title Scream was too close to the name of its 1996 sci-fi dud Screamers. The grievance was later settled quietly. While neither Miramax nor Sony would comment in detail, insiders say no money changed hands but concessions were made on both sides in order to allow Craven to use the title Scream 2. Says the director: "The movies couldn't be more different, so it never made sense. This was just part of a power struggle between Disney (Miramax's parent company) and Sony." And there's been industry sniping too. Recently, some number crunchers from rival studios have spoken out and reportedly claimed that Scream's &100 million-plus figure may be inflated by as much as $17 million. A Miramax spokesperson denies the charge, saying "We're very proud of the success of this movie and we stand by our numbers." Of course, the sour grapes won't deter Miramax from letting the blood flow like wine again... and again. Willianson has promised the studio a Scream 3 script by April'98. This does raise the spectre of sequel overkill, the very force that snuffed out the slasher genre in the late 80's. (Remember Jason Takes Manhattan? At least Williamson has a knowing take on that peril "In Scream 2 we do use the line 'Sequels suck' about eight times."

The Horror, The Horror

With my luck," Neve Campbell's character, Sidney, cracks about who'd play her in the movie, "I'd guess Tori Spelling." Leave it to those irony-drenched Scream makers: she will play Sidney in Scream 2. Not to say Campbell isn't back too. Confused? The sequel begins two years after the suburban carnage-fest of Part 1. when Sidney heads off to college, where she's promptly stalked anew. Meanwhile, TV reporter Gale Weathers (Cox) has cashed in on her bloody ordeal whit a sensationalized book, Stab, which has become a movie starring-Tah-dah!- Spelling as Sidney. so the first Scream becomes a movie within the new movie, giving director Craven and writer Williamson fodder for more tonguein- cheek, self-referencing horror night jinks. As a topper, it's rumored that Scream2's new kid on the block, Pinkett, gets iced in the opening sequence, a la Barrymore, and that these celebkilling kickoffs will be a franchise trademark, not unlike James Bond's pre-credit action blowouts. What's in store for Scream 3? Craven and Williamson won't say, but the screenwriter does note: "When I sold the first one, I had already mapped out a second and third Scream. I always envisioned it as the Star Wars trilogy of horror." May the gore be with you?