KevinWilliamson

Based loosely on Lois Duncan's novel of the same name, I Know What You Did Last Summer continued the 90's barrage of postmodern teen slasher flicks. The film was released hot on the heels of writer Kevin Williamson's box office success Scream and although he was still new to the scene it quickly became clear that this pony was already out of tricks. For horror anyway.

I Know What You Did Last Summer tells the tale of four high school friends who become trapped in the urban legend they talk about over drinks on the beach before running a man over in the road. Suddenly their lives take a sharp turn. Julie (Jennifer Love Hewitt) was ready for college, Barry (Ryan Philippe) had quarterback dreams, Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.) was just a regular guy trying to make it and Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) had art star dreams for New York. Initially they presume the man dead, dump his body in the water and vow never to speak of the ghastly night ever again. One year later, a note arrives at Julie's house grimly stating, "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER!" Suddenly the urban legend comes cruelly to life and a fisherman with a hook has a score to settle.

Missing the Scream team's wacky hijinks? Kevin Williamson's plan to launch a new trilogy of Scream films is really happening and Shock Till You Drop posted a look at the teaser art for the upcoming Scream 4. Head to Shock to see the full poster and tagline. Pretty uninspiring if you ask me but then again it is the fourth go round for a series I lost interest in after the second one. Since things are still in the early stages let's hope the marketing department can whip up something more original.

In a recent chat with Shock Till You Drop, Williamson revealed:

"The fourth one is an ensemble. It'll take place right now, 10 years later, and it's going to take place in Woodsboro. We'll have our three main characters [Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette] will indeed be returning for Scream 4.and we'll be introducing several more. We'll also be introducing a little group, a little ensemble of new cast members. That'll take us through the next three."

These tidbits from Williamson have been confirmed via some info that came with the art from The Weinstein Company's American Film Market program. Rumor has it that the new trilogy will be marketed to a younger audience which could mean a PG-13 rating. Though that's usually the first warning sign of an utter fail in horror, Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell proved a lot of people wrong. Wes Craven is also rumored to continue the series as director but nothing has actually been confirmed yet.

By Jessica Barnes

If you were one of the people who thought that another Scream movie was a bad idea (and who could blame you after the train wreck that was Scream 3), there might be a ray of hope...but I have to stress might. Over at Cinema Blend, their 'reliable source' is telling them that the man himself, Wes Craven, will return to direct the latest installment in the horror franchise.

It had been reported that Craven would be involved in some capacity with the film back when the project was first green lit, but you have to wonder what might have convinced him to get behind the camera. Maybe it was all down to nostalgia and he wanted to get together with the old gang, or maybe it was Kevin Williamson's spec script. One thing is for sure, the big empty spot in his schedule since finishing 25/8 probably wouldn't hurt either. (By the way, 25/8 was just re-named My Soul to Take.)

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Oh, good, as long as they have the most important cast members on board, I'm sure a new Scream sequel will become essential viewing. (Not!) Yup, Dewey and Gale, the cop and the reporter. David Arquette claims that he and Courtney Cox are definitely on board for Scream 4, according to Marc Malkin of E! Online.

Arquette is excited for personal reasons: "I fell in love with my wife on Scream, so the opportunity to bring [Dewey] back to life and for my wife to play that really bitchy character again, it's just going to be really fun," he said. Kevin Williamson is writing the script with all his characters, even though Neve Campbell has so far refused the idea of playing Sidney Prescott. Of course, everyone wants Wes Craven to return to the director's chair.

Presumably, it's in Williamson's best interests to have Scream 4 boiling away on a back burner while he toils on The Vampire Diaries for television. But he seems to have burned out after the initial flurry of projects he did after the original Scream: I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, The Faculty, Teaching Mrs. Tingle, and Dawson's Creek. (I like to say that Diablo Cody is the Kevin Williamson of her generation: snappy one-liners that sound "hip" and "young" but quickly grow tiresome because all the characters sound alike). And the last time Williamson teamed with Craven, we got stuck with the fairly horrid and tedious Cursed. So, no rush on Scream 4, buddy.

By Monika Bartyzel

Thanks to that Internet phenomenon known as Twitter, the Scream world was buzzing over the weekend, clearing up some questions whilst opening up a whole other can of worms.

Last we heard, the Arquettes were in talks to reprise their roles for Scream 4. But they weren't the only ones Kevin Williamson was counting on. June 10: "Come on Sid! Say yes! Please!!!!!! I'm begging!!!!!" But it looks like begging didn't help to schmooze Neve Campbell back to her killer-fighting role. On Friday, Williamson followed up with: "Trying to figure out a Sid-less scenario. She won't do it. This sucks." (The tweet has since been removed, but can be found in the Google cache here.) He now says that he's "moving forward will all my characters regardless...it's the story I wanna tell."

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