Melissa Barrerahas made a name for himself as Samantha Carpenter in Radio Silence’srebootedScreamfilms, and she is now set to reunite with the directing conglomerate for a new project.Deadlinehas reported that Barrera has been tapped to star in Radio Silence’s upcoming monster film for Universal Pictures.
According to Deadline, Barrera is set to play a key part in the still-untitled film. The project, which wasannounced just days ago, will reunite the 32-year-old actress withRadio Silence, the directing collectiveofMatt Bettinelli-Olpin&Tyler Gillett.Bettinelli-Oplin and Gillett directed the 2022Screamreboot and its 2023 follow up,Scream VI.Both films were extremely commercially succesful, with Barerra helping to reinvigorate the iconic 1990s slasher franchise.
Radio Silence will helm their upcoming Universal film withChad Villella, who will produce the vehicle alongsideWilliam Sherak, Paul Neinstein and James Vanderbiltfor Project X Entertainment. The film’s screenplay was written byStephen ShieldsandGuy Busick.While plot details about the film remain close to the collar, the project, known now simply as “Untitled Monster Thriller,” will reportedly be in the vein of Universal’s recent monster flicks thatadapt classic horror characters. This includesThe Invisible Man,and the studio’supcoming filmRenfieldabout the life of Count Dracula’s titular assistant. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, the film was at one point given the working titleDracula’s Daughter,though it is unclear if this is still the case. That version of the film had “centered on a group of kidnappers who abduct a band of young people, one of whom ends up being the titular character. Woe then befalls the kidnappers.”
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Barrera Is a Rising Hollywood Star
Barrera first became widely known after starring in the 2021 musical dramaIn The Heightsfrom directorJon M. Chu,in which she appeared alongside an ensemble musical cast. However, it was her casting inScreamin 2020 that would propel her to new fame, with Barrera’s character Sam becoming a breakout star of the film. Herreprisal of the role inScream VIhelped that film become the highest-grossing installment of the franchise domestically, and it became the firstScreamfilm sinceScream 2in 1997 to gross more than $100 million at the box office.
Barrera also flexed hermusical chops inCarmen,a 2022 musical drama in which she starred alongsidePaul Mescal.She will next be seen inKwame Kwei-Armah’sfeature film debut,The Collaboration,which completed filming last year and is based on the Broadway play of the same name. Barrera will star in the film along withPaul Bettany, Jeremy Pope,andDaniel Brühl.
No release timeframe for Radio Silence’s upcoming Universal monster film has been announced.
