Part of the fun of the Scream series has always been guessing which up-and-comers would meet their maker, and which might be unmasked as a suddenly chatty psychopath in the last ten minutes of the film. Now that Scream 4 has started adding actors -- and the rest of the roles have been revealed -- we thought it was time to speculate about the newbies. Let's go through the casting descriptions one-by-one and decide: victim or villain?
JILL KESSLER: Pretty in an ingenue way. Smart, strong. A little goofy, but she makes it sexy. Full of contradictions, but instantly likeable. Not a mean bone in her body. They're not close, but Jill is Sidney's cousin.
Victim? Not bloody likely. Already cast with Emma Roberts, she's meant to be the the new lead of the series.
Villain? While that would be a great twist, it's probably not gonna happen.
KIRBY REED: Cute and quirky, was a tomboy until a year ago, now she's alternative, cool and sexy. Jill's best friend. She's a pop culture and horror aficionado.
Victim? It never goes well for the best friend character -- just ask Rose McGowan. The role's been cast with Hayden Panettiere, and unlike her indestructible Heroes character, this one seems destined for a messy end.
Villain? There are a whole lot of new female characters, so it's entirely possible that she could Mean Girl her way into killer contention.
CHARLIE WALKER: Messy cute. Friends with Jill, Trevor, Kirby, and Olivia. A little cocky, he likens himself to 'Randy' from Scream 1 without the nerd part. No such luck, he's definitely a nerd. May or may not have a crush on Jill. He'd never admit it if he does.
Victim? Charlie is played by Rory Culkin, and sickly Culkins have a habit of expiring onscreen. It's your turn, Rory!
Villain? Since Sidney's love interest was the killer in the first Scream, I doubt they'd go to that well again for Jill's love interest in Scream 4.
JUDY HICKS: A police officer, decidedly sexy but a bit off, she knew Sidney from high school. Didn't make a big enough impression for Sidney to remember her. Likes her boss, Dewey, perhaps a little too much. NAME CAMEOS PREFERRED
Victim? Is Lake Bell really a name cameo? Regardless, she's got the role, and the fact that it's a cameo might imply that she's offed in the first reel.
Villain? Then again, one constant Scream conceit is that a victim may actually be the killer later on. Judy could pop back up in the third act.
OLIVIA MORRIS: (17-18; any ethnicity) Sexy and hot. A fun girl who knows how to be bitchy without being a bitch. She finds a way to make every situation about her, but somehow does it in a charming way. Part of the Jill, Kirby, Charlie, Trevor friend group
Victim? So, AnnaLynne McCord from 90210, basically. She sounds like the most fun character of the bunch. Let's keep her!
Villain? She could be the new Gale Weathers of the series, so I'm guessing she's safe for now.
DETECTIVE HOSS: (MALE 30s-40s; any ethnicity) New school cop. College graduate raised on the CSI TV series. NAME CAMEOS PREFERRED
DETECTIVE PERKINS: (MALE 30s-40s; any ethnicity) Old school cop. Cocky, bigoted, and snarky. NAME CAMEOS PREFERRED
Victims? These two sound like opening scene cannon fodder.
Villains? Nope, sorry -- though I'm sure that Perkins is Josh Holloway's if he wants it.
PATTY: (17-18; any ethnicity) A bouncy teenage girl with a fountainhead of pop culture that is impressive. Like all teenagers who live in Woodsboro, she is obsessed with the Woodsboro murders and with the STAB films
Victim? Wait, how many characters in Scream 4 are basically the new Randy? Too many. Kill her!
Villain? No: "kill her," not "killer."
MARNIE: (17-18; any ethnicity) Friend of Patty's. Funny and mischievous; loves practical jokes. Sometimes pushes too far. Bored with Woodsboro's obsessions with murders that happened when she and her friends were toddlers.
Victim? Sounds suspicious to me.
Villain? Could be!
BETTE: (20s; any ethnicity) Sidney's personal assistant. Type A who gets the job done. Secretly yearns for Sidney's fame and fortune.
Victim? Totally. She's the red herring whose innocence is revealed upon death.
Villain? Sorry, Bette. The All About Eve reference in your name is destined to be the only memorable thing about you.
REBECCA: (17-18; any ethnicity) Cute, vain, over-achieving student at Woodsboro High School. Editor in Chief of the high school newspaper. She's a future Gale Weathers.
Victim? We already have the original Gale Weathers and a new Gale Weathers. We don't have room for much more.
Villain? A definite suspect. If the film sets up a younger trio that mimics Sidney, Dewey, and Gale, it'd make definite sense to spring a twist where one is actually the killer.
Nico Tortorella Joins Scream 4, More Information About The Characters Revealed [Slashfilm]