Scream: The TV Series' abrupt reboot has been addressed by one of the original stars. The show, which premiered on MTV in 2015, did not feature major story or character overlaps with the movies, featuring a new killer with a different mask and a fresh ensemble cast that included Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Carlson Young, and John Karna during the first two seasons. The delayed season 3, which brought back the Ghostface mask and Roger L. Jackson as the iconic killer’s voice, featured an entirely different setting and cast of characters, butScreamseason 4never came to fruition.
Willa Fitzgerald recently sat down for an interview with Perri Nemiroff onCollider Ladies Nightwhile promoting her new serial killer thrillerStrange Darling. When asked about the fact that she and her co-stars did not return forScreamseason 3, which premiered on VH1 in 2019, she revealed that “I kind of still don’t know what happened.” She said thatthe cast had been informed that they would be returning, but one day she received a call that the show would be moving in a different direction.
She described herself as “being kind of devastated” by the news, but also “excited,” especially asit allowed her the opportunity to explore other rolesincluding playing Meg March opposite Maya Hawke, Kathryn Newton, and Dylan Baker in the 2017 miniseriesLittle Women. She revealed she never watched season 3 and that she is still “curious” as to what happened behind the scenes. Read Fitzgerald’s full quote below:
It was [a total shock.] I kind of still don’t know what happened… It was the Spring of 2017. We all thought we were doing season 3. We had all been kind of told we were doing season 3… And I got a call from my team and they were like… “They’re recasting the entire thing.” And I remember being kind of devastated. And also at the same time was like “OK…” It was a hardship in a lot of ways… We were really under a lot of pressure every season… I think I was also at that moment in my career… I was excited, luckily, for a new direction… for what my year looked like… I was ready to have some change… I got to go to Ireland and do Little Women. Suddenly my world exploded in this way… But yeah, it was wild… I don’t watch a lot of things I do… I watched most of season 1… I didn’t watch season 3… I’m kind of really curious… I still don’t know what happened.
What Willa Fitzgerald’s Revelation About Scream: The TV Series Means
The Show’s Surprise Reboot Even Caught The Stars Off Guard
Willa Fitzgerald’s candid reflection on the fate of the cast of the first two seasons ofScream: The TV Seriesreveals thatthe show’s abrupt shift was a surprise even for many of the people working behind the scenes. From the outside, the show’s changes had been opaque, partially as a result of being completely redeveloped with a different creator (Brett Matthews) for a different network (VH1). The season’s release was also completely different from the previous seasons, with all six episodes being aired in one fell swoop across three consecutive nights in July 2019.
The main cast ofScreamseason 3, which was subtitledScream: Resurrection, included Keke Palmer, Giorgia Whigham, C. J. Wallace, Tyga, and Tyler Posey.
However, the attempt to connect the show more directly back to theScreammoviesdid not pan out in terms of keeping the show on the air, perhaps because of the confusion around the rebooted season’s production and its release. Because of the absence of any previous cast members, the show alsolacked any connective tissue to the seasons that had come before, in addition to lacking major characters from the original movies beyond the look and sound of Ghostface.
Our Take On Willa Fitzgerald’s Scream: The TV Series Thoughts
The Loss Of The Original Cast Was Bittersweet
While the news was likely devastating for the entire cast at the time, Fitzgerald is right that the recasting opened the door for more opportunities.Scream: The TV Seriesdid not last beyond season 3, so being released from their obligations to the show allowed them to spread their wings. In addition to Fitzgerald taking on roles in projects includingLittle Womenand, eventually,Strange Darling, her co-stars would explore other avenures including Carlson Young directing the2024 rom-comUpgraded, John Karna starring in Greta Gerwig’sLady Bird, and Bex Taylor-Klaus appearing inHell Fest,Dumplin', and13 Reasons Why.
