Yahoo News What happened to Scream's missing season 3?
Fans of MTV's Scream are used to being kept in the dark, enthusiastically speculating about who'll survive the latest season's murder spree and who's behind the killer's mask this time round.
Right now, though, there's a far larger question hanging over the spin-off series: what the heck is going on with its third season? Has Scream been axed or will the show.... be right back?
Here's everything you need to know.
Scream season 3 premiere: Will it get a 2019 air date?
It's complicated.
MTV announced that a third season of Scream had been greenlit way back in October 2016 – at the time, new episodes were expected to air the following year.
It was also confirmed at the time that season two's showrunners Michael Gans and Richard Register would not be returning, exiting the show just a year after they replaced original bosses Jill E Blotevogel and Jaime Paglia.
What's more, the third season was to be the shortest yet – while the first season ran to 10 episodes and the second to 12 (followed by a two-part Halloween special), this latest outing was to comprise just six episodes.
But even more surprising developments were to come: in April 2017, MTV confirmed that the new season would be a reboot, ignoring the events of the previous two seasons and starting fresh under new showrunner Brett Matthews and executive producer Queen Latifah.
Further intel emerged in July 2017, with MTV announcing that the six new episodes would air over just three nights. An actual air date, though, was not forthcoming, though MTV President Chris McCarthy told The Hollywood Reporter that the plan was for Scream to return in "fall/winter" 2017.
It appears, though, that either McCarthy was being overambitious or there was a delay to production: filming for the third season didn't begin until September 18, 2017, concluding on November 11 in Atlanta, Georgia.
By February 2018, Deadline was reporting that the latest Scream was "set to launch later [that] year" – but 2018 came and went, and still nothing, with fans still waiting for news as of February 2019, some 15 months after filming wrapped.
Scream season 3 on Netflix: Will it stream?
The first two seasons of Scream streamed on Netflix after airing on MTV, but in July 2018, THR confirmed that an output deal which existed between The Weinstein Company (which produced Scream) and Netflix had been terminated, meaning that Netflix would not stream the third season on its platform.
The contract disputes that resulted from this termination were finally resolved three months later, in October 2018, according to Reuters.
Though there's been no official word from MTV, this legal wrangling between the now-extinct Weinstein Company (which shut up shop in July 2018), Lantern Entertainment (a new company which bought up WC's assets) and Netflix is believed to have contributed to the delay in airing Scream's third season.
With Netflix now under no obligation to accept delivery of, or make payments towards, Scream, it's probable that MTV is looking to sign up a new streaming partner before it broadcasts the final episodes.
Besides these complications, Scream is also likely the victim of a change of strategy at MTV – as part of a new mandate from its owner Viacom, both MTV and sister channel VH1 began to move away from scripted programming in 2018, with Maggie Malina, head of scripted for both channels, exiting that role in February 2018.
As reported by Deadline, a memo sent to MTV staff announcing Malina's departure from Chris McCarthy and general manager Amy Doyle included a note of thanks for "her shepherding the relaunch of Scream to its completion."
Scream, it would appears, is a product of the old regime, and an awkward fit for the new MTV.
Scream season 3 cast: Who’s starring, and who’ll play the killer?
Though we're still hanging on for a launch date, we do have plenty of details on Scream's third season, including an extensive cast list.
Post-reboot, there's a whole new line-up of characters:
RJ Cyler as Deion Elliot, a star running back for the high school football team.
Jessica Sula as Liv, a member of the cheerleader squad and an honor-roll student.
Keke Palmer as Kym, a rebel and social activist
Giorgia Whigham as Beth, a goth girl and tattoo artist
Tyga as Jamal, Deion's big-hearted step-brother
CJ Wallace as Amir, a good kid with strict parents
Giullian Yao Gioiello as Manny, a smart, loyal and openly gay guy
Tyler Posey as Shane, a high school dropout, drug dealer and party promoter
Mary J Blige will also recur as Sherry Elliot, Deion's mother. Rapper and actor Big Boi and horror icon Tony Odd will also appear in unspecified roles.
Scream season 3, episode 1: What’s going to happen?
Here's the official synopsis for Scream's third season:
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Atlanta, Scream features a brand new cast of characters destined to fall prey to the mysterious killer known as "Ghostface". The series centers on Deion Elliot, a local star running back whose tragic past comes back to haunt him and threaten his hard-earned plans for his future...and the lives of his unlikely group of friends.
Yep, you read that right – Ghostface is back!
The first two seasons of Scream did not feature the iconic Ghostface masked killer from the movies – again, that's down to a legal issue, with the Ghostface image being owned by the costume company Fun World, meaning the Weinstein Company had to pay for its use.
But Ghostface *will* appear in the third season, with original voice artist Roger L Jackson lending his unique vocals to the part once more.
Scream season 3 trailer: Have any teasers been released?
Well over a year since filming wrapped, we're yet to see any footage from the new Scream episodes. Keep this page bookmarked and we'll update it as soon as anything clips or teasers emerge!
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