Recently, Scream writer Kevin Williamson suggested that the Scream franchise could go on forever, which is no surprise when you consider just how much money each of these films has made so far. In fact, it would indeed seem like there is no end in sight. Who could have ever predicted that a sixth installment would be around the corner, when it felt that the series had reached a natural end with Scream 3 (2000)? Nevertheless, this year’s Scream (2022) grossed $140 million at the global box office against a budget of $24 million. So it would seem that the Scream sequels continue to be everyone’s “favorite scary movies”.
The upcoming sequel will see the return of all surviving characters from that movie, with the exception of Neve Campbell, who controversially bowed out earlier this year due to a salary dispute with the studio. Among those returning characters is Sam Carpenter, with Melissa Barrera reprising her role. In Scream (2022), she is introduced as the illegitimate daughter of original Ghostface killer Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). However, Sam Carpenter is no villain (at least not in this year’s sequel anyway), and she winds up helping Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) save the day against two new Ghostface killers.
But it remains to be seen where things go from here for this character. And it’s entirely possible that she is already on a dark path, as she is seen wiping her bloody knife clean after finishing off one of the killers in the latest film. For now, we’ll just have to assume that Melissa Barrera’s character will be one of the heroes again, and after all, she did recently tease what it was like shooting Scream 6 in Montreal, which doubles as New York City. Now, Barrera has revealed the timeline for the upcoming sequel, and where it fits into the wider series. While we know, of course, that it will follow on from Scream (2022) chronologically, we don’t know how long after it will take place.
In a “20 Questions Interview” with Deadline on their Deadline Podcast, hosted by Antonia Blyth, Melissa Barrera confirmed exactly when Scream 6 will take place with regards to its 2022 predecessor. Here’s what she said: “No, it’s not [a big time hop] at all. It’s almost directly after the last one. Basically, the amount of time that has passed between one movie and the other is the amount of time that has passed in Scream time.”
So, now we know that Scream 6 will take place directly after Scream (2022), it begs to question why yet another Ghostface killer has decided to target the Woodsboro survivors so quickly after they already escaped the last one. Either way, Scream 6 will be the most direct sequel in the series to date. Scream 2 (1997) takes place two years after Scream (1996), and Scream 3 (2000) three years after the first sequel. Scream 4 (2011), however, takes place 10 years after Scream 3, and Scream (2022) another 10 years after the fourth movie.
Scream 6 recently wrapped filming and will take place in New York City. It stars Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed), Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks), Newcomers are Dermot Mulroney, Henry Czerny, Tony Revolori, Jack Champion, Devyn Nekoda, Liana Liberato, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving in undisclosed roles. The official synopsis for the upcoming sequel is as follows: “[Scream 6] continues with the four survivors of the Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.” Scream 6 will be released in theaters on March 31, 2023.
