The Wayans Brothers (Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Keenen Ivory Wayans) are coming back for Scary Movie 6
Eleven years have gone by since the release of a new entry in the Scary Movie horror parody series – but the franchise isn’t going to remain dormant for much longer, and it’s being revived with the help of the people who got it started in the first place: the Wayans Brothers! Back in April, it was announced that the Miramax label at Paramount, which is now operating under new boss Jonathan Glickman, had given the greenlight to a new Scary Movie sequel (which would be Scary Movie 6, if they continue putting numbers in the titles), with the plan being to get the film into theatres sometime in 2025. That announcement didn’t include any mention of writers or a director – but now Deadline has revealed that Scary Movie 6 marks the return of the Wayans Brothers to the franchise. They haven’t been involved with the Scary Movie series since the second movie.
Scary Movie was developed by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Keenen Ivory Wayans, and they have returned to write the screenplay for the new film. We assume that Marlon and Shawn are going to have acting roles in the film as well, since they played prominent characters in the first two movies.
Glickman provided the following statement: “We are thrilled to reunite Scary Movie with the Wayans Brothers, the brilliant creators behind the beloved franchise. The timing is perfect to bring back the series to the big screen and we’re lucky to have Keenen, Marlon and Shawn’s unique comedic vision bringing it to audiences around the world.“
The Wayans Brothers added, “We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the new Scary Movie and work with each other again. This is a franchise we created more than 20 years ago. We remember people laughing in the aisles and hope to see that happen again. We look forward to working with Jonathan Glickman and his team at the new Miramax to bring these laughs to theaters, where they belong. It’s a double reunion.” Marlon Wayans also confirmed the brothers’ involvement with the new film on Instagram:
Miramax Motion Picture Group President Becky Sloviter is overseeing the project for the company.
Directed by In Living Color creator Keenen Ivory Wayans from a screenplay written by a bunch of people (Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, and Aaron Seltzer), the first Scary Movie was released by Dimension Films back in 2000. Scary Movie 2 was released in 2001, and the Wayans remained at the head of the creative team for that one. Keenen Ivory Wayans directed it from a screenplay credited to Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Alyson Fouse, Greg Grabianski, Dave Polsky, Michael Anthony Snowden, and Craig Wayans. There was a shake-up behind the scenes on 2003’s Scary Movie 3, as Dimension hired Airplane and The Naked Gun director David Zucker to take the helm. Zucker directed that film from a screenplay by Craig Mazin and Pat Proft. That trio returned for Scary Movie 4 in 2006, with Jim Abrahams also receiving a writing credit. Seven years later, Pat Proft and David Zucker came back to write Scary Movie 5, which was directed by Undercover Brother‘s Malcolm D. Lee.
The first Scary Movie was made on a budget of $19 million and earned $278 million at the box office, so the budgets increased for most of the sequels. Scary Movie 2 cost $45 million and made $141 million, Scary Movie 3 cost $48 million and made almost $221 million, and Scary Movie 4 was made for $40 million and earned $178 million at the box office. After the lengthy break between movies, Scary Movie 5 got a lower budget, dropping back down to $20 million. That was a good decision, because the film only made $78 million at the box office.
Scary Movie 5 was the only film in the franchise not to feature Anna Faris and Regina Hall as their characters Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks. In a 2022 interview, Faris said she would be willing to return for another sequel if the price was right (and she thought Hall would, too).
Are you glad to hear that the Wayans Brothers are back for Scary Movie 6? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
