Speaking to Variety, the actress reflected on the fallout surrounding the Wayans family’s departure from the series and the request she received from Keenen Ivory Wayans as the third film moved forward without them.
At the time, “Scary Movie” had become one of Hollywood’s most successful comedy franchises, but tensions between the Wayans brothers and Miramax had reached a breaking point. The filmmakers who had created and shaped the first two installments ultimately exited the series amid disputes over compensation and creative control, clearing the way for a new team to take over “Scary Movie 3.”
The Phone Call That Put Anna Faris in a Difficult Position
Looking back on that period, Faris remembered hearing directly from Keenen Ivory Wayans after the family learned they would no longer be involved with the franchise. “He had called me and said that the franchise had been taken away from them, and he asked me to not do it,” she recalled.
The request carried particular weight because of the respect she had for the filmmaker who helped launch her career. “It was such a devastating moment in the sense that I admired Keenen so much, and he was asking me to do something, but I was under contract.”
According to Faris, Wayans attempted to reassure her about the risks of refusing. “All they can do is sue you!” he told her. The actress, however, viewed the situation from a very different financial reality. “I’m living in a one bedroom apartment by the farmer’s market!” she remembered thinking, underscoring why walking away never felt like a realistic option.
The comments arrive as the franchise enters a new chapter. The recently released sixth film reunites Faris with Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Regina Hall, and Keenen Ivory Wayans for the first time since the creative split that followed “Scary Movie 2.”
