The original scripts for the Scream movies are always fascinating to read, as most of them were changed a lot during production. The early Scream 4 the script in particular is a pretty mess, giving us a version of the movie where the killer gets away with it. The script for the newest movie in the franchise, 2023’s Scream VI, internet on August 15, and once again, fans are confused by what was left on the cutting room floor. Several references to late series star Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) were cut from the final film, but more importantly, running star Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) lost one of her best moments on the series to date.
(Ed. remark: Spoilers ahead for Scream VI.)
Photo: Philippe Bosse/Paramount Pictures
Just over halfway through (on page 95), new star Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) gets a scene alone with Gale at the Ghostface museum. Sam complains that the world thinks she is the killer. “When Sidney survived, everyone hugged her.” says Sam. “When I survived, they hated me. Because I’m not the good girl. (…) People prefer me as the bad guy.”
Gale tells her, “Sam, I know this from experience—comparing yourself to Sidney isn’t a good use of your time.” And besides, you look more like me.’
That may not sound like much, especially since the rest of the scene, where they discuss their losses and Sam’s mother, made it into the final film. But the conversation about Sidney could have been a good moment for Gale. It shows a more maternal side of her, making Sam’s heartbroken reaction to Gale’s subsequent near-death feeling more deserved. Not only that, but we see Gale struggle with her long-standing role as Sidney’s ethically dubious counterpart.
Gale has always been aware that she is not as “sweet” as Sidney. Like so many characters in this meta-horror franchise, she’s aware of the genre she’s in: she knows that in most other horror franchises, the cold-hearted reporter character would have been killed off halfway through the first film. She doesn’t fit any of the usual criteria for a beloved Final Girl, which is part of the reason we love her so much. It may also, as the scene indicates, be the reason we end up loving Sam.
The other big moment in the script for Gale is at the end of the chase in her apartment. “You’ve been in my life for so damn long,” she tells Ghostface. “I made you. And you made me.” After another beat she says, “Wanna try and finish this? Go ahead if you got the guts.”
That last line is a reference only the hardcore fans will remember – it’s from another cut moment only seen in the Scream 4 trailer, spoken by Gale when Ghostface seemingly got her for good. It would have been a perfect final note for the end of the chase scene. The line is a bit cheesy, of course, but it’s also daring and challenging to the bitter end.
It stings that both moments were cut from the film, due to all the long-term complaints fans had Scream VI, Gale’s treatment is often at the top of the list. After all, this film could very well have been Gale’s time to shine. New York is her hometown, and her investigative skills could have played a lot more into the plot than here. But while Gale finally gets her own special call with the killer, that doesn’t make up for the fact that her overall character in this movie is a half-baked mess.
After steadily maturing five movies in a row, Gale starts this movie early Scream 2 mode, acting as a bloodthirsty reporter who is rightfully punched in the face in her first scene. That slap is a nice moment of fan service, but it comes at the cost of everything Gale has done and learned over the last 25 years.
Photo: Philippe Bosse/Paramount Pictures
In another film, Gale’s relapse could have worked. We could have had a gripping storyline about the grief-stricken Gale reverting to the version of herself before she met Dewey (David Arquette), but eventually found the strength to revert to the wiser, more compassionate version of her we’ve come to expect. got the end of the 2022 scream. Instead, Gale gets little to do before or after her big car chase scene.
She doesn’t die in her confrontation, but she spends the rest of the movie in the hospital, while Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) is somehow allowed to rejoin the other protagonists just a few hours after she had her own huge stomach wounds. The movie sticks to the formula of ending when the heroes leave the final massacre scene, even though this would have been the perfect opportunity to break from tradition and jump ahead at least a few hours, until Gale’s condition had stabilized. Just one last scene with her could have done wonders.
Fans can still see a general arc taking place for Gale throughout the Scream series. She warms up as her scenes progress, but it comes in bits and pieces. Gale spent Screams 1 through 4 as a secondary protagonist, so when she’s limited to just a few minutes for Screams 5 and 6, every little moment counts.
It’s understandable that the writers want to keep the focus on the new cast, but it wouldn’t have killed them to be a little generous with what they let their old characters do. We don’t know much about the role Gale (or Sidney) will play in the future Scream 7but we’ve seen that the current strategy of bringing back older characters for minor, almost irrelevant roles doesn’t quite work. Scream 7 should revive Gale as a major player in the story with meaty material to deal with, or it shouldn’t bring her back at all.
Scream VI is streaming on Paramount Plus and is available for digital rental or purchase at Amazon, Vuduand other platforms.