Posted in: Movies, Paramount Pictures | Tagged: kevin williamson, scream, scream 2, wes craven

Kevin Williamson Reveals That Scream 2 Almost Had a Different Director

Writer Kevin Williamson reveals that when Wes Craven was uncertain about his return for Scream 2, a different director was in talks.

The Scream franchise is closely associated with the late Wes Craven, whose direction helped redefine horror in the 1990s. But according to screenwriter Kevin Williamson, the sequel to the 1996 hit nearly had a very different vision.

In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Williamson revealed that Scream 2 almost wasn't directed by Craven at all. "No, no. That was Robert Rodriguez. Robert Rodriguez almost directed Scream 2. I don't know if anyone knows that," Williamson said. "I think Wes was hesitant about doing a sequel. He was worried that he had other opportunities, and I think he was worried about getting trapped into Scream. But then, of course, he didn't want to leave it, so he came back."

Rodriguez, known for Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn, was apparently in early talks to step in before ultimately passing on the project. "We talked to Robert about it, and he was up to do it," Williamson continued. "And then he moved over and he did The Faculty, which I love. I think The Faculty was fun. It was sort of—I feel like it's very '90s. When you watch it, to me, it's just like a time capsule of the '90s right there."

The Undeniable Success of Scream 2

The Faculty did indeed go on to become a cult favorite of its own, but Craven's decision to return to Scream 2 proved pivotal. Released in 1997, just one year after the original, the sequel continued the story of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) as she faced a new wave of copycat Ghostface killings while trying to rebuild her life in college. Like its predecessor, Scream 2 played with genre conventions, offering meta-commentary on horror sequels and slasher tropes.

The film was both a critical and commercial success (earning nearly the same as the original at the box office), solidifying Scream as more than just a clever one-off. In fact, Craven remained at the helm for all four original films before his passing in 2015. Since then, the franchise has continued with new directors and a fresh generation of characters, though the original's tone and legacy remain deeply tied to Craven's influence.

Williamson's behind-the-scenes revelation serves as a reminder of how easily cinematic history could have unfolded differently. A Rodriguez-directed Scream 2 might have been just as entertaining—but it would've been a very different kind of Scream.

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