When a gimmick has already been done, it’s hard to replicate the same excitement a second time. This is especially true when you’re talking about a sequel in the same franchise. But, apparently, an early version of “Scream 4” was set to feature an opening scene that would have attempted to recreate the iconic opening of the 1996 Wes Craven original.
Speaking to Slant, actress Kristen Stewart talked about how she was approached to shoot the opening scene of “Scream 4.” In the opening, Stewart would have been shockingly killed in a scene that would have mirrored the famous Drew Barrymore scene in the original. For those that don’t remember, Drew Barrymore was all over the marketing materials for 1996’s “Scream” and was murdered in the first 10 minutes of the feature, which at the time served as the first of many subversions in that film.
“I was like, ‘I can’t do a Drew. I can’t touch that,’” said Stewart. “So then they ended up doing, if I’m remembering correctly, a larger sequence and not just one victim.”
Stewart is correct. The opening for “Scream 4” starts with a similar scene as the original, but it attempts to subvert the trope that the franchise itself created. But still, even though it would have been a bit of a retread, seeing Kristen Stewart get stabbed in the opening of “Scream” could have been pretty great.
Alas, it doesn’t appear we’ll ever get to see that. Maybe the filmmakers will subvert the subversion yet again and bring back the Barrymore fakeout in the upcoming “Scream” sequel which is being filmed soon?
You can watch the Barrymore scene below: