Scream 4: So-called spoilers hit the Internet, Craven goes on record about his stars & more...

Today, Scream Franchise Examiner has your latest Scream 4 news—including the newest batch of so-called spoilers. (Those of you who are at all weary may want to stop reading here—though we wouldn't dare share anything we thought to be a legitimate spoiler.)

Director Wes Craven publicly shared his support for actor David Arquette, who recently entered rehab, with EW.com yesterday: “I’m glad to hear that David is going into rehab. I saw him a little bit more because he was present during more of the shoot than Courteney. He was in a lot of pain, so it’s good that he’s getting some help.” He referred to the two as “very professional people” when addressing the concern that Cox and Arquette might not wish to promote the film together, and added, “Frankly, none of us knew anything was going on [during filming]...I don’t know what their problems are, but it’s not that they hate each other that’s for sure. It’s something else.”

So what exactly is the spoiler here?

Well, there really isn’t one—except that numerous people have taken Craven’s comment about Arquette being on-set for a greater period of time than Cox as an indication of her character’s fate.

SFE, however, has a different interpretation. First, Craven is much too self-aware to let something so crucial slip. And second, Cox’s abbreviated shooting schedule probably had more to do with her obligations to TV’s Cougar Town (which began filming its second season about one month into the production of Scream 4) than her role. Movies are shot non-sequentially for many reasons—one of them being to accommodate the schedules of those involved.

Having said that, SFE would not be surprised if Cox’s character (reporter-turned-author Gale Weathers) is severely, or even fatally, attacked by Ghost Face this time around. (And that’s no spoiler—you’ve all seen the trailer!)

SFE would also like to take a moment to wish the incomparable David Arquette well. This April, the Sheriff is back in town--and we'll all be rooting for him...

And in another exchange, actress Lucy Hale raised eyebrows when she shared the following reflection on her Scream 4 experience with Teen Vogue:

I was pretty terrified while I was shooting. There’s a lot of blood, a lot of screaming, and, well, it’s a Wes Craven movie…I’m a huge horror-movie addict, and it was really amazing to be part of a cult classic.

But, as our friends at Scream-Trilogy.net so astutely assessed Hale’s droppage of The B-Word (blood), “While it doesn’t automatically mean that her character bites it, let’s face it, every newbie is on mortality watch.” We concur…

Meanwhile, Kristen Bell has also offered some thoughts on her role (or lack thereof?). From yesterday’s Belfast Telegraph:

Kristin hinted: "You never know, because if your part gets cut down or not, so I don't know - we'll see when it comes out..."

But she added: "It was really really fun. We shot it in my home state of Michigan so that was nice to be back."

(We’d say she’s also a contender for that aforementioned mortality watch. And maybe theorizing on her part being “cut down” is actually a not-so-subtle reference to something a bit more sinister than potential screen time…)

In other news, it was announced yesterday that Starz Media, LLC (the parent of Anchor Bay Entertainment) has agreed to sell The Weinstein Company (TWC) a 25% stake in the company, with Anchor Bay also entering a multi-year home/digital distribution agreement for TWC films (and those of its Dimensions Films division)—including Scream 4. (Source: Fangoria)

Finally, Fun World’s ever-generous R.J. Torbert has announced that he just may be giving away another Ghost Face mask signed by Wes Craven. From his Twitter account: its the new year, Im in a good mood, so-maybe I will give away a signed WES CRAVEN GHOSTFACE mask to someone who writes a good poem –maybe. It’s time to wax poetic, Screamers!

Stay tuned for more details as they develop…

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Be sure to check out SFE’s Top Ten of 2010 here.

Got an inside scoop that you’d like to see appear in print? Email Scream Franchise Examiner at OyeJohn52@aol.com.

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