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Scream star David Arquette on ‘feeling’ late director Wes Craven’s presence during filming for slasher relaunch: ‘He was on our mind’

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David Arquette has opened up about remembering late Scream director Wes Craven on the set of the fifth film.

The 50-year-old reprised his role as Dewey Riley in the slasher, alongside beloved co-stars Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox as Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers respectively.

This marked the first movie that Craven was not at the helm of, following his death in 2015 – with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett stepping in to direct and Kevin Williamson, who wrote the previous films, serving as executive producer.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk ahead of the release, David revealed they made sure to honour their former colleague during shooting.

‘There was a lot talking about Wes,’ he said. ‘The directors were inspired to make films because of Wes. They wrote a beautiful letter and [we] had a great conversation with them. 

‘They put us at ease. But he was on our mind quite a bit, you felt him around.

David Arquette reprised his role as Dewey Riley (Picture: Paramount)

Wes Craven helmed the first four Scream films in the franchise (Picture: Rex)

‘We all wanted to make something that he would be proud of.’

Marley Shelton, who returned to the fold as Judy Hicks, agreed: ‘There was such effort and focus on doing right by what Wes had set in motion. 

‘Our filmmakers took great care and are passionate fans of Wes Craven’s filmmaking and of the horror genre, and the Scream genre – Yes, I think scream is its own genre. 

‘They did an amazing job at paying homage in this film while bringing, of course, their own point of view and talent. 

Wes Craven, pictured with Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell died in 2015 (Picture: Getty)

‘Everybody thought about Wes a lot and we hope we made him proud.’

The latest film in the franchise, simply titled Scream, has been released to rave reviews, with Metro.co.uk giving it 4.5 stars.

Some critics described it as the best instalment since the original 1996 flick, whipping fans into a frenzy.

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Discussing the success of the ‘requel’ – a term which will become clear to viewers – Neve shared her belief that Craven would be ‘proud’.

‘To hear that people think we’ve lived up to what he would want, that’s great,’ she told LadBible. ‘I think he would be proud as well, to be honest.

‘I think these guys have done an amazing job.’

Scream is in cinemas now.

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