Editing Scream 3 (section)

=== Writing ===
[[Bob Weinstein|Bob]] and [[Harvey Weinstein]] approached Williamson in early 1999 to pursue a full script for a third installment to the [[Scream (franchise)|''Scream'' franchise]], ''Scream 3''. However, following his successes with the ''Scream'' series and other projects such as ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer]]'', Williamson had become involved in multiple projects including the development of the short-lived TV series ''[[Wasteland (American TV series)|Wasteland]]'' and directing his self-penned film ''[[Teaching Mrs. Tingle]]'' (1999) which Williamson had written prior to ''Scream'' and which had languished in [[development hell]] since.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /> Unable to develop a full script for the production, Williamson instead wrote a 20–30 page draft outline for the film that involved the return of [[Ghostface (Scream)|Ghostface]] to the fictional town of Woodsboro where the "Stab" series, a fictional series of [[film within a film|films within a film]] that exist within the ''Scream'' universe and are based on the events of ''Scream'', would be filmed.<ref name="fangoria190" /> The Weinsteins hired ''[[Arlington Road]]'' scribe [[Ehren Kruger]] to replace Williamson and helm writing duties, developing a script based on Williamson's notes.

The environment for ''Scream 3''{{'}}s development had become more complicated than with previous films. There was increased scrutiny on the effects of violence in media and the effect it could have on the public in the aftermath of the [[Columbine High School massacre]] which occurred shortly before production would begin on the film. In addition, since the release of the original ''Scream'' films, various acts of violence had taken place which had gained notoriety and media attention when they were linked to, or blamed on, the films.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" /><ref name="controversyCBS" /><ref name="controversyIndependent" /> Eager to avoid further criticism or connection to such incidents, Williamson's notes were largely discarded as the studio insisted that the script should focus on the comedic elements of the series while significantly reducing the violence.<ref name="fangoria190" /> The setting of the film was changed from Woodsboro to [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]] upon which Kruger commented that he believed the characters should be moving to "bigger" places from [[high school]], to [[college]], to the city of Hollywood.<ref name="fangoria190" /> Behind the scenes however, the move away from Woodsboro was mandated as it was considered that a film containing violent acts of murder in and around the small town of Woodsboro and the associated school would attract significant negative criticism and attention that could be detrimental to the production and studio, with the film set for release less than a year following the Columbine incident.<ref name="ETrueHollywoodStory" />

Kruger agreed to develop the script for ''Scream 3'' primarily to work with Craven and the executives under [[Miramax]]; he said of his decision to take on writing duties on the film:
{{blockquote|When you're doing a rewrite script, it's never totally coming from you. It's never the same as writing an original. So often, what you look for is, "Well who am I going to be working with?" and "Who am I going to be learning from?" The [answers to those] questions give you a lot of motivation for pursuing a project like this.<ref name="fangoria190" />}}
To help in developing the script, Kruger read copies of Williamson's scripts for ''Scream'' and ''Scream 2'', as well as watched the earlier films to better understand the characters and tone.<ref name="fangoria190" /> In an interview, Kruger admitted that his lack of involvement with the development of the principal cast of ''Scream'' hampered his ability to portray them true to their previous characterization. Early scripts for ''Scream 3'' had the character of Sidney Prescott much like "[[Sarah Connor (Terminator)|Linda Hamilton]] in ''[[Terminator 2: Judgment Day]]''" – a more action-orientated heroine – at which point Craven would intervene and correct the script to bring the characters closer to their previous appearances.<ref name="fangoria190" /> Kruger admitted that despite not receiving any writing credit, Craven had a significant hand in developing the script for ''Scream 3''.<ref name="fangoria190" /> Like ''Scream 2'', the script for ''Scream 3'' was subject to repeated alterations with pages sometimes completed only on the day on which they were to be filmed.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /> Multiple scenes were rewritten to include previously absent characters or change elements of the plot when it was decided that they were not connecting with other scenes.<ref name="scream3dvdcommentary" /> In a 2013 interview, Williamson further detailed his original script, which would have seen the killers be a "Stab" fan club of Woodsboro kids. All the members of the club would have been involved in the killings and the final twist "of the movie was when Sidney walked into the house after Ghostface had killed everyone ... and they all rose up. None of them were actually dead and they'd planned the whole thing." Williamson later adapted this story for his 2013 TV series ''[[The Following]]''.<ref name="Writing2013" />