As the Scary Movie saga has just returned to theaters, word is that Cindy might not have been played by Anna Faris.
Here at Écran Large, we weren’t especially fond of Scary Movie 6, the cheesy return of the Wayans brothers’ horror-parody franchise (Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen) with Anna Faris and Regina Hall still in the cast. Yet the formula seems to be delivering at the box office, because since its U.S. release on June 5, the film has already grossed over $126 million worldwide, well above Paramount’s $30 million budget.
There’s more than nostalgia on offer: promotional efforts were stepped up. In addition to trailers and “funny” posters, the cast and writers of this Scary Movie have been doing the rounds of media appearances, sharing jokes and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. The opportunity to learn that the character Cindy, portrayed since the first film by Anna Faris, was almost played by another famous 1990s actress.
WITCH, WATCH YOUR BACK
In an interview, with Anna Faris and her brother Shawn conducted by Entertainment Tonight, Marlon Wayans recently revealed that another actress had been considered for the role of Cindy, one of the heroines of Scary Movie. More precisely, he was asked whether there had ever been a celebrity who dreamed of appearing in a Scary Movie, but whom he had to flatly say no to. The answer from Marlon Wayans was this:
“Melissa Joan Hart. She was supposed to play the role of Anna.”
The fact was evidently little known, because even Anna Faris and Shawn Wayans seemed surprised by the announcement. For context, if Melissa Joan Hart’s name might not ring a bell for 2026 audiences, she was known at the time of the first film (2000) for her lead role in the TV series Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.
Why, then, decide not to give her the role? For Marlon Wayans, the decisive factor was the choice of Keenen, the eldest of the brother-screenwriters:
“Keenen said: ‘I’ve seen this young woman, Anna Faris, and I really think she’s our Cindy.’ So you stole Melissa Joan Hart’s job. Brava Anna, you’ve stolen the job from another white woman.”
Although the remark is delivered in humor, the takeaway stands: Melissa Joan Hart has indeed appeared far less on screen than Anna Faris since the latter took the helm of the horror-comedy franchise. Hollywood’s tough reality. Fans of goofy, spoof-style humor, Scary Movie 6 has been in theaters since June 3, 2026.
