The Original Script Leaked Online — Forcing a Rewrite.

Shortly after filming began in 1997, the Scream 2 script leaked online — a major scandal at the time. This forced Kevin Williamson to rewrite story.

“When the script leaked, we had to scramble. I rewrote a lot of scenes — entire sequences — just to throw people off.”
— Kevin Williamson, Collider interview (2022)

The leak revealed different killers and a drastically altered ending. This was one of the earliest examples of a major Hollywood script leaking online before release.

It's actually very confusing and there are a lot of fake scripts. But I'll try to write it as clearly as possible + I've added some new information.

In the leaked draft, the Ghostface killers were Derek (Sidney’s boyfriend) and Hallie (Sidney’s roommate). According to this script, Derek and Hallie had met on a horror movie chat board. Both serial killer fanatics, the two had forged a relationship and initiated themselves into Sidney’s life.
Cotton Weary was not a traditional killer but had a more sinister role in the finale.

Cotton appeared in the final act with a knife, trying to manipulate Sidney into helping him profit from the story.

You can read one of the scripts here: https://scream.fandom.com/wiki/Scream_2/Alternate_Script
I can't confirm this for sure, but this script is supposedly the one that was leaked in March 1997.

“In one of the drafts, Derek and Hallie were the killers. And Cotton was kind of there, playing both sides.”
— Kevin Williamson, Dread Central (2017)

UPD: Why is what is described probably true?
In the original leaked draft, Mickey wasn’t one of the killers — he was just another film student, a side character in the college setting.
But after the script leaked online, the studio and Kevin Williamson decided to rethink their plans.
From Timothy Olyphant’s (Mickey) interview, we can tell that Mickey was made a killer later in the process.
Originally, his role was smaller, but after the script leaked and the story was rewritten (April–May 1997), the studio expanded his part. As Olyphant said:

“I remember auditioning for the part and then being told, ‘Oh, there’s a little bit more to the part and then I was told I needed to come back and do [more] for the part, and I was like, ‘Oh, and then [realizing], I’m the killer, ok.”
— Timothy Olyphant, The Playlist (2023)

One early draft even Killed Sidney

A darker version of the leaked script ended with Sidney Prescott dying in the final act, and the media sensationalizing the tragedy.



After the leak, Williamson and Craven began planting multiple fake scripts on set — some named Dewey or Gale as the killers — just to confuse cast and crew. Even the actors often received incomplete pages.

“We had fake endings, fake pages, fake scripts… We were printing them on special paper so they couldn’t be photocopied.”
— Kevin Williamson, SlashFilm interview (2023)

This tactic became standard practice for future Scream sequels to avoid spoilers.

The now-iconic killers Mickey (Timothy Olyphant) and Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf) were not the partners in crime in the leaked draft. They were introduced during the rewrite phase to replace Derek and Hallie. However, some sources say that Loomis was the fourth killer and was planned from the very beginning.

• Mrs. Loomis as a vengeful mother is a direct homage to Pamela Voorhees in Friday the 13th (1980).
  
• Mickey’s obsession with media fame reflected real-world debates about violence in the 1990s.

Unlike the others, Mickey didn’t become Ghostface because of trauma, revenge, or manipulation.
He was already a murderer before the mask.

Mrs. Loomis outright says they met on some dark web forum about serial killers and names the amount of active ones in the US. She says that Mickey was an up-and-coming example, and that's why she formed the connection.

The Scream 2 script leak was one of the first high-profile cases of online piracy in the 1990s and influenced how studios handled sensitive material going forward.

“It was one of the first times we realized the internet could ruin a movie before it even hit theaters.”
— Kevin Williamson, Syfy Wire interview (2022)

«Billy was a sick f-ck who tried to get away with it. Mickey is a sick f-ck who wants to get caught, yeah! See, I got my whole defense planned out. I'm gonna blame the movies. It's pretty cool huh? It hasn't been done before. You see, this is just the beginning, a prelude to the trial. That's where the real fun is 'cause these days it's all about the trial. Can't you see it? "The Effects of Cinema Violence on Society". I'll get Dershowitz or Cochran to represent me. Bob Dole on the witness stand in my defense. Hell, the Christian Coalition' will pay my legal fees. It's airtight Sid. I'm an innocent victim.»

In fact, in one of the scenes discussing the sequels, Mickey actually blamed the movies. But that scene was deleted.

— «There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to create a successful sequel. Number one: the body count is always bigger.»

— «Number two: the death scenes are always much more elaborate; more blood, more gore. Carnage candy. Your core audience just expects it.»

— «And three: If you want your sequel to become a franchise, never ever—” (Randy is cut off in the released film; the teaser/trailer finishes the line as) “never, ever, under any circumstances, assume the killer is dead.»

First and foremost, I created this guide for myself, because I had already told everyone around me everything I could, and perhaps I had really gotten on their nerves (actually, no, I hope), but... I'm sure there are many more fans of this franchise who would be interested, too. Someday I'll do the same for Scream 3, because it's all very interesting to study.

Someone has taken their love of scary movies one step too far!