Wes Craven Almost Said ‘No’ to ‘Scream’

For those of you well versed in movie trivia this might already be a well known fact to you, but in the wake of Craven’s passing it’s an interesting event to reflect on.  While Wes Craven has an impressive horror movie resume under his belt, there are two movies that probably most define his career and he almost said “no” to one of them.

Bob Weinstein, producer and head of New Line, wrote an article for Deadline to share his memories and thoughts about Wes Craven.  In the article he talked about meeting with Wes to have him direct a new script he had.  At the time, the scripted was called “Scary Movie”, but the world would later come to know it as “Scream.” Here’s how Weinstein described that meeting with Wes Craven:

The only person that I thought of to direct this movie was Wes Craven. Wes read the script immediately and we had our first meeting. His demeanor could not have been any more opposite of what I expected from a “horror director.” As anyone who knows Wes personally, he was gentle, professional, polite, and when it came to horror, a true master. To my surprise, he passed, saying that he wanted to do something with less comedy and that was from beginning to end much harder-edged. My heart dropped. I tried to convince him but to no avail and he wished me well.

After being turned by Wes Craven, Weinstein spent weeks trying to track down a new director for the project.  It’d be pretty interesting to see what other names were on that list of directors.  I have to imagine he approached other notable horror movie directors about the project or possibly some up and comers that might’ve had the creative spark to take on his prized horror script.  However, just as Weinstein was at the end of his rope he got a surprise call.

Weeks later, when I was down to the last several people on my list, out of the blue came a call from Wes asking if he could meet with me. The meeting took place and he explained to me he had re-read the script several times and had now come to clearly see the movie in his head. He asked if the opportunity was still available and if so he would like to take the job. Faster than the speed of light I said yes.

It’s hard to imagine living in a world where Wes Craven’s “Scream” never came to pass, but it almost happened.  “Scream” most likely would’ve come out still, but under someone else’s direction and who knows what that movie would’ve been like?  It’s hard to imagine it could’ve been any better under someone else’s direction.

Be sure to read the full article on Deadline, it’s an interesting retrospective that goes further into depth regarding the relationship between Bob Weinstein and Wes Craven and it also sheds some light on the infamous Drew Barrymore scene from “Scream.”  It’s an excellent read for Craven fans still in mourning.