Brody, Shelton and Knudsen added to Scream 4 Cast

Casting News, News

Scream 4 started shooting this week in Michigan, and the casting directors are working overtime to fill out the rest of the cast list. The latest names to join the cast come courtesy of THR’s Heat Vision blog. Adam Brody, Marley Shelton and Erik Knudsen have signed on to the horror franchise, which reunites Wes Craven with Kevin Williamson. Their movie, Scream in 1996, kicked off a horror movie revival that has gone through many phases in the last fourteen years.

The three join a cast that includes original holdovers Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox. New participants (victims?) include Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin and Nico Tortorella.

Brody will play a cop recently graduated from college who was raised on the “CSI” TV series.

Shelton will play a deputy who knew Campbell’s character in high school. Lake Bell had been in negotiations for the role.

Knudsen will have a role similar to the one played by Jamie Kennedy in the first two installments, a character who is familiar with horror movie conventions and a provider of comic relief.

To preserve the identity of the killer, Craven and Williamson are operating under several layers of secrecy, including not sending the script to agencies. At a table read last week, the actors were told to stop reading at page 75 to prevent even those already cast in the film from knowing the climax.

The Buzz: Rewatching the first Scream a few weeks ago, I was surprised by how well it holds up. Slashers involving Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhies I have a soft spot for, because they were my gateway to horror. While I’m more selective with the horror I watch these days, when Scream came out the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. But now we are far removed from the days of The WB and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Has Kevin Williamson matured as a writer? Does Craven still have it as horror mastermind – I hope so. The addition of Marley Shelton is a much better choice than Lake Bell, no offense. With her turn in Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror she has the tools to kick ass when things get hairy. Also, if one of the characters needs to be resuscitated, she can fall back on her lifeguard experience from The Sandlot.

And I like the idea of Adam Brody being a cop of the CSI era. So I guess this would make Scream 4 CSI: Woodsboro.

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!