The Wayans Family’s Cinematic Impact: How ‘Scary Movie 6’ Continues a Decades-Long Legacy

The Wayans family has contributed to and produced projects such as “The Wayans Bros,” “My Wife and Kids” and the “Scary Movie” franchise. (Courtesy/ Fair Use Images)

On Oct. 29, actor, comedian and writer Marlon Wayans announced that the Wayans brothers are returning to the “Scary Movie” franchise, continuing the family’s extensive filmography.

The Wayans family, which consists of 10 siblings—the most familiar being Keenen, Damon, Kim, Marlon and Shawn Wayans—is responsible for the creative and comedic production of record-breaking TV shows, films and comedy shows. Their experience as actors, producers, writers and comedians has grown since Keenen’s early role in “Hollywood Shuffle” in 1987.

Following Keenen’s work, fans first experienced the Wayans family on the ‘90s Fox sketch-comedy show “In Living Color.” This show paved the way for actors like Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Lopez, who have since become successful in the Hollywood industry. The Wayans also gained recognition with films like “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” (1988), “ Mo’ Money” (1992) and “Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood” (1996).

This success allowed the Wayans family to continue their comedic reign, leading to the creation of the “Scary Movie” parody series.

Directed by Keenen and released by Miramax, a film and TV production company founded by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, “Scary Movie” is a movie starring figures such as Marlon and Shawn Wayans, Regina Hall and Anna Farris. It takes a comedic approach to the popular horror films “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

According to Variety, the movie surprised everyone in the industry, grossing more than $157 million domestically on a $19 million budget and serving as a reminder of how much Hollywood underestimates the power of Black audiences. 

“You can’t do Wayans [stuff] without the Wayans. You can try, but eventually, you’re gonna lose a lot of money because what we do is special,” Marlon said in an interview with football tight end Shannon Sharpe on his podcast “Club Shay Shay.” “We have 200 years of comedy between me, Shawn and Keenen, Damon, Kim. We have a lot of years of excellence at what we do.” 

This success led to the sequel “Scary Movie 2,” which would be the family’s final movie with the franchise although three more scary movies were released without the Wayans.

Marlon said he and his family found out through a magazine on Christmas Eve that Miramax had no plans of continuing with them. On “Club Shay Shay,” he said they couldn’t come to terms on a deal with the Weinsteins, as they tried to offer the same amount as the first movie. 

He said Miramax took the idea for “Scary Movie 3,” but the family decided not to sue.

“We probably could have sued or whatever, but part of us was like, ‘All you can do is allow us to create something new.’ I could write a book on that whole thing, honestly. They definitely still owe us money, lots of money. What they did was really bad business,” Marlon said.

Despite the setback, the Wayans family continued to create and star in numerous successful films and TV shows such as “White Chicks,” “Little Man” and “My Wife and Kids.” “Poppa’s House,” starring Damon and his son Damon Wayans Jr., is one of the most recent projects, which was released on Oct. 21.

As the Wayans family continue their careers, they extend their comedic and artistic legacy in Hollywood. Their return to the “Scary Movie” franchise promises to bring back the familiar humor for generations to come.