Gemma La Mana/Dimension Films Courteney Cox, right, as Gale, with an old friend, in “Scream 4.â€Do you like scary movies? And do you also like scary TV shows adapted from scary movies that cleverly deconstruct the entire scary-movie genre?
If you answered yes to both questions (and, in doing so, were not antagonized by a cloaked maniac in a spooky mask), you may shiver in delight at MTV’s announcement that it has given the green light to a television pilot based on “Scream,†the hit slasher-film series.
MTV was expected to announce the “Scream†pilot at its upfront presentation on Thursday afternoon. In a news release circulated prior to the presentation, the network said that it was working with Dimension Films, the studio that produced the “Scream†movies, to “reinvent the successful horror comedy franchise that spawned three sequels and unleashed ‘Ghostface’ to a legion of unsuspecting fans.â€
The original 1996 “Scream†movie, written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, starred Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox as some of the would-be victims of a murderer who wears a mask modeled on a famous Edvard Munch painting. MTV said it was speaking with “various writers for the potential series,†and that Dimension was talking to Mr. Craven about directing the pilot. No casting was announced for the series, which is planned for a summer 2014 debut.
The announcement comes as suspense- and horror-theme series are gaining momentum on network and cable television, ranging from MTV’s own “Teen Wolf†to AMC’s “The Walking Dead,†and from NBC’s “Hannibal†to Fox’s “The Following†(created by Mr. Williamson, the writer of “Scream.â€)
MTV was also expected to announce on Thursday that it is renewing its popular “Jersey Shore†spinoff “Snooki & JWOWW†for a third season, and ordering the new reality shows “Generation Cryo†(about children who were conceived by anonymous sperm donors), “Nurse Nation†(about young nurses working in a hospital) and “The Hook Up,†a dating series.
