Anthony Anderson is back for the new Scary Movie, and he says the call that brought him in came from Marlon Wayans after the franchise was wrestled back into the family name. The actor, who appeared in Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4, said he had signed on to the series years ago thinking he would be working with Marlon, Shawn Wayans and the rest of the Wayans family.
That return matters now because Scary Movie is the first entry in the series since 2013 and opens in theaters on June 5, putting the cast back in the spotlight just as the reboot takes shape. Anderson said the new film already has him thinking bigger, with conversations underway about a seventh installment and bringing back everyone from the beginning of the franchise.
Anderson said he did not realize Marlon and Shawn Wayans were no longer involved when he took the job for Scary Movie 3, only learning later that the film had become a Miramax project. He remembered expecting to make the movie with friends, then finding out the series had moved on without the family that created it.
The Wayans history with the franchise runs deep. Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans launched Scary Movie in 2000 and followed with Scary Movie 2 in 2001, while Keenen Ivory Wayans directed both films. In 2002, Miramax moved ahead with a third movie after Keenen, Shawn and Marlon signed a deal to work with a different studio, and Marlon Wayans later said the Weinstein brothers refused the family’s request for raises and took their idea for Scary Movie 3. In that light, the new film is more than another sequel; it is the family taking back a series that once moved away from them.
Anderson said Marlon Wayans called him soon after regaining control and asked, “Yo, Ant, you want to be down in Scary Movie 6?” Anderson’s answer was immediate. He said, “Hell yeah, it’s about time we get to work together.” Marlon Wayans has described the project as a reboot rather than a sixth entry, and Anderson said the production went really well and that “no holds are barred.” The biggest open question now is what that reboot looks like when it reaches theaters on June 5, but the message from the returning cast is clear: this time, the Wayans are back in the driver’s seat.
