One of the most hotly anticipated movies on the horizon, the Scream franchise returns to theaters on January 14, 2022, and the fan-site Hello Sidney just got some fresh insights from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, as well as producer Chad Villella, the three members of the filmmaking group known as Radio Silence (Ready or Not, V/H/S, Southbound).

For starters, they promise Scream 2022 is Rated “R”. If you had any doubts!

Gillet also explains to the site, “With all the Scream movies, legacy is very front and center. And they all build so successfully on one another while also being totally original in their own right. And, that was something that, from the start, we knew was going to be essential in this work and that was a love letter to all the movies and, of course, to Wes. But also was going to take some of its own unique risks, and carve out its own path in the series.”

“We have to make a movie that’s a standalone good movie. It has to be entertaining, in and of itself,” Bettinelli-Olpin chimes in. “But also has to be a part of a franchise that has existed for 25 years. For us it was finding a way to merge those two things. A lot of it came from the script, where the entry point is accessible to everybody. This isn’t a movie that you need to have seen 27 other movies to understand. But, your experience will be extremely heightened the more knowledge you have of those previous four.”

He adds, “We have a ton of Easter eggs in this thing.”

Gillett also notes during the chat, “It wouldn’t be a Scream movie if it wasn’t self-referential and didn’t talk about, you know, where the genre is at in a kind of pop culture sense.”

You can listen to HelloSidney.com’s full interview with Radio Silence below.

Dylan Minnette (Goosebumps), Mason Gooding (Let It Snow), Kyle Gallner (Ghosts of War), Jasmin Savoy Brown (“Love”) and Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) recently joined an ensemble that also includes Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, David Arquette and Courteney Cox who will return as Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers, as well as new cast members Jack Quaid (“The Boys”), Melissa Barrera (“In The Heights”) and Jenna Ortega (“You”). Marley Shelton is also returning as Scream 4 character Deputy Judy Hicks

James Vanderbilt (Murder Mystery, Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man) and Guy Busick (Ready or Not, Castle Rock) wrote the script. Michel Aller edited the film, which is now complete.

Kevin Williamson is back as executive producer.