WIRE Buzz: Neve Campbell joins new Scream; Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts gets third, final season; Fantastic Fest

The new Scream film that's been snapping up all the horror franchise's stars has snagged perhaps the biggest of its legacy cast members: Neve Campbell.

The actress, who plays Sidney Prescott in the first four tongue-in-cheek slasher films, officially signed onto the fifth film after circling the project for a while. David Arquette and Courteney Cox (coming back as Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers, respectively) joined the film earlier this year, leaving Campbell as a final Final Girl to jump aboard. Now directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have assembled quite a cast for their take on the franchise, including The Boys breakout Jack Quaid, Melissa Barrera, and Jenna Ortega.

Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett's filmmaking collective Radio Silence said in a statement that “We’re pinching ourselves! It’s hard to express how much the character Sidney Prescott shaped our love of movies and to have the chance to work with Neve is truly a dream come true. It just wouldn’t be a Scream movie without Neve and we’re so excited and honored to join her in Woodsboro."

Campbell said, “After spending time speaking with Radio Silence, they have shown such love, respect and admiration for Wes Craven and all that he’s created in the Scream franchise. I am beyond excited to step back into the role of Sidney Prescott and return to Woodsboro.”

Another familiar face from the franchise joining the project is Scream 4's Marley Shelton, who will once again reprise her role as Judy Hicks, last seen to be a sheriff's deputy. 

And of course, it wouldn't be a teen slasher flick without some teens to slash on screen. Deadline reports that 13 Reasons Why alum and Goosebumps star Dylan Minnette will also be joining the cast, along with Love, Victor's Mason Gooding. 

Rounding out the cast are Kyle Gallner (Veronica Mars), Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers), and Mikey Madison (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood). 

Scream returns to theaters on Jan. 14, 2022.

Next, a queer bright spot in Netflix's animated offerings is coming to a close. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts has been renewed for a third and final season, ending its run with ten new episodes.

The show from Radford Sechrist and Bill Wolkoff has finally taken out Scarlemagne (Dan Stevens), which leads Kipo (Karen Fukuhara) and crew onto their next challenge: Dr. Emilia (Amy Landecker), who looks to purge the world for the sake of humanity. Basically, every evil X-Men villain is Dr. Emilia. Kipo won't let that plan happen, as she's got a plan of her own for the post-apocalyptic planet.

The series also features the vocal talents of Sydney Mikayla, Coy Stewart, Deon Cole, Dee Bradley Baker, Sterling K. Brown, and Jake Green.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts returns to Netflix for its final season on Oct. 12.

Finally, after the in-person event was canceled back in July, Fantastic Fest is going virtual.

The genre-focused film festival was one of many that needed to reassess plans after the coronavirus pandemic swept through the world and threatened all large gatherings of people - especially those in enclosed rooms like movie theaters. Now the fest is heading to Alamo On Demand for free, running from Sept. 24 - Oct. 1.

“Despite the many hardships 2020 has thrown our way, the Fantastic Fest team knew we needed to stick to our mission of celebrating and championing genre films from bold, diverse voices — new filmmakers and treasured alumni alike,” Fantastic Fest programmer Logan Taylor said in a statement. “While we have a much smaller selection than in previous years, we’re delighted to showcase 15 films that express our brand loudly and proudly.”

The features on offer this year include world premieres (Bloodthirsty, The Boy Behind the Door, Cyst, How To Deter A Robber, The Stylist), new restorations (Daughters of Darkness, Triple Fisher: The Lethal Lolitas of Long Island), and more (The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Teddy, The Queen of Black Magic, Possessor, The Old Man Movie, Laughter, Girl).

Dubbed Celebration of Fantastic Fest, the event will offer fans the ability to sync their playback experiences with others, so it'll be like attending a real movie even through social distancing. The fun begins on Sept. 24.