Horror television is soaring in popularity lately, with shows such as American Horror Story, The Walking Dead and The Following paving the way for what will undoubtedly be countless other horror series. That’s the good news. The bad news? MTV has got their hands on Scream, and a pilot for a series based on the classic horror franchise is headed to the network.
That’s right, Ghostface and his four-film franchise are going to be “re-invented” by Dimension Films and MTV. Why it needs reinvention, I have no idea, but that’s the current plan.
The only thing that leaves me with a shred of hope that MTV won’t destroy the franchise is the fact that Wes Craven is in talks to direct the pilot. If he indeed agrees, and is allowed to do what he wants with the show, then yes, this could be a a pretty awesome horror series. But the films are such a staple of the slasher genre, that it seems like adapting them to television is not the right move.
MTV has already made another stab at the horror television niche with Teen Wolf, but if any network is going to take on this sort of show, MTV is not the one I want handling it. It seems almost sacrilegious to sandwich Scream between a Jersey Shore spin-off and a series called The Hook Up. Perhaps I’m being overly pessimistic about this, but for now, I’m very much hoping this series doesn’t actually come to fruition.
The series is aiming for a summer 2014 debut. MTV is talking to various writers for the project, and no casting has been announced.
What do you think of a Scream series? Is it something you’re excited to see, or do you share my pessimism? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.