Ahead of the release of Scary Movie 6, Shawn and Marlon Wayans share their approach to making daring comedies in 2026.
26 years after the premiere of Scary Movie, the franchise is returning, and the Wayans brothers are confident the wait was worth it.
Scary Movie hits theaters June 5, and it reunites the "core four" — Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Regina Hall, and Anna Faris — for what the brothers are calling the franchise's boldest installment to date, promising that "every line will be crossed.".
For longtime Scary Movie fans, this tagline won't come as a surprise. But the entertainment world of 2026 is vastly different from the one the franchise first entered in 2000. Comedy, especially the boundary-pushing kind on which the Wayans built their careers, exists in a completely different world in the age of social media and cancel culture. Jokes that were once considered inappropriate can now go viral and cause a social media firestorm.
In an exclusive interview with theGrio, when asked about their approach to making a film meant to "cancel cancel culture," the Waynes brothers shared their formula for success.
«We certainly went too far [in the film], but I think we have autocorrect. We listen to the audience, we listen to ourselves, and every comedian has some kind of conscience,» Marlon explained. «Over time, you really start to feel good about yourself. Just because something makes you go «ooh» doesn’t mean it’s completely funny. Sometimes it’s just a tasteless joke that we want to be fun. So if you say «ooh,» it has to be «HA-HA,» otherwise it’s not worth it. Anything that I felt was detrimental to the film, I cut out. We want to keep the momentum going.».
«"[The goal is to make people] laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh," Sean added.
«"Of course, you have to try different things, but that's typical for every comedian. You have to experiment, but when you get the finished product, what does it feel like? When you do comedy, our main goal is to make everyone laugh, not to please. We want to make you laugh, and sometimes that can mean failing," Marlon continued.
«"[And that happens when] you tried too hard to be like someone and it ended up not being funny," his brother interjected.
«"You have to trust your instincts, and sometimes people try to be offensive, and it works. We Waynes have never been tasteless; that's just not our formula. Our goal is to make you laugh.".
This formula has resonated with audiences for decades, from "In Living Color" to "White Chicks" to the original "Scary Movie" films that completely revolutionized the parody genre. Now they're back, ready to make audiences laugh with "Scary Movie 6," which premieres in theaters on June 5th.
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