Just four days before principal photography on Scream 4 was set to begin in Ann Arbor, Michigan, actress Lake Bell announced on her Twitter account that she had to leave the project due to a scheduling conflict. Bell was cast as Deputy Judy Hicks, a police officer and high school friend of Sidney’s (Neve Campbell), described as “decidedly sexy but a bit off.”
Bell’s latest update on the subject reads: “Sucks: Scheduling conflicts with my current gig means I cant do Scream4! (Hey horror bloggers, I know who the killer is…).” Unfortunately, that leaves little time for Dimension Films and director Wes Craven to find a new Deputy. Still, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find an unemployed actress in Hollywood who meets the criteria for “sexy but a bit off.” May we suggest Jennifer Connelly? Or Michelle Monaghan?
Whether or not Bell will be easily replaceable (my guess is she will be), this news comes at a bad time for The Weinstein Company, which is producing Scream 4: just yesterday the studio was forced to turn over 200 movies from its vault to Goldman Sachs and insurance company Assured Guarantee, in a deal to restructure Weinstein’s $450 million debt. The company’s fate will rest on the success or failure of its upcoming projects, including Scream 4. This is just one more headache for beleaguered brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein.
