Back on March 17th, we reported on a rumor that MTV’s Scream Season Three would be rebooted with a new cast and story. The speculation at the time was based on the show’s declining ratings (from 750,000 viewers per episode in Season One to 380,000 viewers per episode in Season Two), and the fact that key cast members were beginning to secure commitments to other shows (such as Willa Fitzgerald’s contract for Fox’s upcoming show, Behind Enemy Lines). While rumors about dramatic overhauls should always be taken with a grain of salt, this one turned out to be pretty much spot-on! MTV announced today that Season Three of Scream is “getting a total renovation,” with an all new showrunner, storyline, cast, and “flavor!”
The show will be executive produced by actress/rapper/mogul Queen Latifa, Shakim Compere and Yaneley Arty of Flavor Unit Entertainment. The production company’s past hits include Bringing Down the House, Beauty Shop, and HBO’s Life Support. Harvey and Bob Weinstein will continue to executive produce the series under their Dimension TV company.
The series’ new showrunner is Brett Matthews (Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries). While MTV doesn’t come right out and say that the original cast and the Brandon James storyline will be abandoned for the third season, phrases like “fresh cast” and “creative reboot” all but seal the deal.
The declining ratings for the show obviously pressured MTV into making such a dramatic move with the series, but it is uncertain whether all of these changes will add fans to the series or deliver it to the grave. One thing that most fans of the series could agree on was that they liked the cast and the characters. The storyline was sometimes cheesy or incoherent, but John Carna, Carlson Young, and Bex Taylor-Klaus and their respective likable characters kept people tuning in week after week. As convoluted as it was, fans who watched the series followed the Brandon James storyline for years hoping it would eventually pay off and wrap itself up in a conclusive manner. These same viewers may feel burned and not want to get invested into another storyline which may also never be resolved. But let’s face it, MTV is hoping to do more than just retain old fans with this reboot. In order for this to work, it needs to attract a great number of viewers who’ve never heard of Brandon James. Only time will tell how this gamble pays off.
Stay tuned to Horror News Network for more details on MTV’s “fresh” and “totally renovated” Scream as it breaks!
For more on Scream, click here.
