What do you do when you’re haunted by a literal ghostface from your past again? In Sydney Prescott’s case, he’s bringing in help from her two closest confidants.
According to Daniel Richtman, the next mainline Scream installment will reunite the OG “Final Girl” Neve Campbell with her on-screen husband, Patrick Dempsey, and her best friend, Courteney Cox.
The latter’s return is more of a given after she remains the only one to have starred in all six entries so far. But Dempsey’s return is a surprise although Cox’s character, Gale Weathers, did mention his character, Detective Mark Kincaid, in& Scream 5 and Scream 6.
Unlike Cox’s Gale Weathers, Dempsey’s Mark Kincaid only had a starring role in Scream 3, where he attempts to flirt and eventually succeeds in having a romantic relationship with Prescott following her mother’s murder. In Scream 5, Mark is said to have stayed behind with their children as Prescott returned to Woodsboro to confront the latest Ghostface killer. In Scream 6, Gale implied that both are now in hiding after hearing about the attacks in New York.
Dempsey’s return would add more star power to Scream 7, which is shaping up to be more of a reunion film than a passing of the torch.
Scream 7‘s production was put in jeopardy last year after losing its lead stars, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, the latter of which left after the controversial dismission of the former. This was followed by a series of walkouts from various staff members, led by its director, Christopher Landon, who exited the project amidst the backlash.
Franchise stalwart, Kevin Williamson, has stepped up to direct his first Scream film after acting, writing, or being an executive producer in the previous entries, including the TV show. James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, the co-writers for Scream 5 and Scream 6, are joining him as co-writers.
It’s unclear if Scream 7 will still premiere this year as intended. Most likely, the production won’t start anytime soon given the presumably hectic schedules of the rumored actors. This makes a 2025 release more likely.
Scream 5, or just “Scream”, was one of the biggest surprise hits of early 2022. It was the first film to dethrone Spider-Man: No Way Home after the nostalgia blast of a film had reigned at the global box office for weeks. Scream 6 was similarly successful when it premiered last year.
Overall, the Scream franchise has grossed over $900 million worldwide. The success of Scream 7 could propel the series to join the exclusive billion-dollar franchise club.
