Craven Screams About Scream 4
We interviewed horror filmmaker Wes Craven earlier this week about his new movie My Soul to Take, during which time we got him to chat a bit about his next project, Scream 4.
IGN: You’ve assembled quite an ensemble for Scream 4, including stars who are new to the series such as Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell. Will their parts essentially be one-off scenes for the actors or are they full roles?
Wes Craven: It depends on the roles, but it’s kind of Dimension Films’ and Bob Weinstein’s modus operandi to pay the money and get people that are stars for the roles so that’s the way it was done. It was much larger budget, frankly, than we had [on My Soul to Take] the kids were a lot younger, our characters were a lot younger so on Scream there’s a lot of people everybody knows.
IGN: So what’s been the most pleasant aspect of your return to Scream after such a long break from it?
Craven: It’s been 10 years. I think just working with everyone again and with Courteney [Cox] and David [Arquette]. Sort of getting back together again with those people, and it’s always fun working with new young talent. For me it was even more fun on My Soul to Take because we were completely in control of casting and were finding people who were totally unknown so it was fun making the first discovery of some of these kids.
IGN: Have you decided what your next project will be?
Craven: Frankly, we just wrapped Scream 4 about a week ago. We’re obviously right in the middle of doing press for My Soul to Take and then we have probably well into next year doing post-production, so I’m really not thinking about anything else now except getting (My Soul to Take) released in the best way possible and then I’m looking at 4, 5 or 6 months of post work so I’m not thinking about it at the minute.
IGN: Anything happening with other remakes of your films, such as Shocker?
Craven: Nothing’s going on with that right now, frankly. Shocker and The People Under the Stairs had been things that I’d been involved with that at one point we were proposing be remade, and at that time Universal was going through the throes of a lot of changes and for a long time they weren’t making decisions of that sort. And at a certain point I’d thought I’d done enough remakes and needed to get back to writing and directing. To me, it was more important to do original material than to remake something I’d already done once.
IGN: Some horror producers have bemoaned the difficulties in getting R-rated, hardcore horror films made in the current marketplace and in trying to sell them overseas. What are your thoughts on that dilemma?
Craven: I don’t know who really feels that. I certainly don’t from my experience. Nothing’s been easy for me to get things going, but I’ve been very fortunate. There’s a ton of genre material out there right now so I don’t have the feeling that it’s that hard to get it done. In fact, I wish people would make a few fewer of them!
My Soul to Take is now playing. Scream 4 opens April 15, 2011.
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