Miramax is ready to put a new Scary Movie into theaters, and this time around, the studio is doing the sensible thing by keeping the Wayans brothers directly involved.
Deadline reports that Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory Wayans have signed on to co-write / co-produce a new Scary Movie reboot for Miramax that will, like earlier installments, spoof a variety of other horror films. Rick Alvarez (White Chicks, Little Man) is also set to co-write and produce.
The Wayans brothers first created the Scary Movie franchise back in 2000, and in a statement about the new film, they expressed excitement about working with “the new Miramax to bring these laughs to theaters, where they belong.”
Miramax head Jonathan Glickman added that “the timing is perfect to bring back the series to the big screen,” and said that the studio is “lucky to have Keenen, Marlon and Shawn’s unique comedic vision bringing it to audiences around the world.”
Though the first two Scary Movies — which were directed by Keenan and starred Marlon and Shawn — were massively successful at the box office, the brothers left the series after contract talks for a third installment fell apart. In a 2021 appearance on the Comedy Gold Minds podcast, Marlon Wayans insisted that he and his brothers “didn’t walk away from a franchise,” but rather that Miramax under Harvey Weinstein’s leadership “didn’t want to make our deal, and they snatched it.”
The new Scary Movie is slated to begin production some time next year. There’s no word yet on who else might be returning from the franchise’s original cast or whether any newcomers might join the project.