Courteney Cox game for directing Scream 8
Courteney Cox is up for directing Scream 8 after appearing in all seven films as investigative reporter Gale Weathers.
Courteney Cox has thrown her name into the ring to direct Scream 8.
The 62-year-old actress thinks she should be at the helm of the forthcoming instalment of the horror film franchise, given she is the only star to appear in all seven films as investigative reporter Gale Weathers.
Deadline asked Cox if she would consider the opportunity, and the star replied: "I think I should, honestly. Nobody knows more about that movie than I do."
The entertainer noted she is not the only person who has a say when it comes to the Scream franchise, noting "the creator and the writers and Wes Craven and everyone who’s been in it", but again seemed enthusiastic about the idea of taking the director's reins.
Cox said: "But I think it’d be great and fun, and it’d be a good publicity thing. Get on it!"
The late Craven created the first four slasher movies, with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, 48, and Tyler Gillett, 44, taking on Scream 5 and Scream 6, and Kevin Williamson, 61, taking the lead on this year's Scream 7.
In April, it was revealed that Scream 8 is in the works, with screenwriters being hired to start work on the eighth movie following the huge success of Scream 7, which starred Cox and Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), and became the series' highest-grossing instalment.
The Hollywood Reporter said screenwriting sisters Lilla, 52, and Nora Zuckerman, 50, the team behind 47-year-old Natasha Lyonne's TV show Poker Face, have been drafted in to come up with a new story for the eighth slasher movie.
It comes after Williamson has ruled himself out of directing Scream 8.
The filmmaker, who wrote the original 1996 Scream film and the second and fourth movies in the blockbuster horror franchise, returned to co-write and direct Scream 7, but he is planning to take a step back from the series and focus on other things in the near future.
Asked if directing Scream 7 had made him want to direct more Scream films, Williamson told Hello Sydney: "Not Scream, no. I want to direct another film that I had written that is just waiting for me to find the time to direct.
"And right now, I’m working on a couple TV shows that I’m really excited about. So maybe I’ll direct one of those - who knows? For the next Scream, I’ll probably step back and just be a part of the family again.”
While Williamson has "some ideas" for storylines for future Scream movies, he would rather sit back and see what other people have in mind.
Asked about possible themes, he said: “I don’t know. Whoever does it will have to let us know. I have some ideas of where it could go, but I’m anxious to see what another storyteller could do with it. I hope that we get the chance to do it.
"It’s nice to be part of the Scream family. That doesn’t mean I always have to be front and centre. I don’t always have to write or direct.
"Other people can take the reins. I’m excited to see what other storytellers come up with.”
He added about the next Scream movie: "I’m hopeful there will be an 8. No one’s really talking about it yet. We just assume, with the box office, we hope there will be one. But no one’s talking."
