2022's Scream won't be a sequel in the film's original series or even a reboot -- it'll be kickstarting its own new franchise in the Scream universe.

Courteney Cox reflected on the film's place in the franchise to 1996's Scream co-star Drew Barrymore, stating, "This is the 5th one, it's not Scream 5 though, this is Scream. It's hip, it's scary, it's just a new Scream - it's not a reboot, it's not a remake, it's just a brand new launch."

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Cox added, "The directors are incredible. They're making it absolutely - it's a new franchise."

Cox and Barrymore both appeared in the original 1996 film, with Barrymore serving as the surprise first kill in the film --  all the marketing materials and interviews at the time purposefully tricked audiences into thinking its star Barrymore would play a pivotal role in the film. Cox portrayed the iconic Gale Weathers in the three following sequels, along with Scream alums David Arquette as Dewey and Neve Campbell as final girl Sidney Prescott.

The upcoming Scream film was originally confirmed in 2011 by franchise director Wes Craven. However, Craven passed away in 2015, making the upcoming film the first one in the series to have been directed by someone other than Craven. Ready or Not's co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett will take up the directorial mantle for 2022's Scream.

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Scream has seen multiple delays since its 2011 announcement. The Scream franchise, originally produced by The Weinstein Company, lost its producer following numerous sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Despite an initial interest expressed by Blumhouse Productions, Spyglass Media Group acquired the rights to the new Scream movie, without the knowledge of whether it would be a sequel, a remake of the original film or a reboot.

Plans for the future of the series are unknown. At the time of this writing, Scream's co-directors have not confirmed or denied if multiple films are planned to follow the 2022 release.

Scream will see the return of Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, David Arquette as Dewey Riley, Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers and Marley Shelton as Deputy Judy Hicks. Cast newcomers include Jack Quaid, Dylan Minnette, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on Jan. 14, 2022.

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Source: YouTube