Scream 7: Cast, Story & Everything We Know

With 2023's Scream 6 continuing the beloved slasher franchise, fans are already eager for all the Scream 7 news. The original Scream was released in 1996 and revitalized the slasher genre while introducing a meta element that revolutionized horror. Following director Wes Craven's death, the franchise took a new direction with a new cast of young characters who were poised to carry the series forward, and the Scream 7 news so far indicates there are still plans for twists and turns in Ghostface's story.

The Scream franchise has always stuck to a very reliable formula while also introducing new elements to keep audiences on their toes. However, trends set by the most recent iterations mean Scream 7 was poised to change everything that came before. Unfortunately, behind-the-scenes drama has forced the upcoming horror sequel to completely reorganize, and the creative direction of Scream 7 is currently in flux.

Related 8 Horror Movie References The Scream Franchise Gets Wrong The Scream franchise is full of references to other horror movies, but as pop culture savvy as the characters are, they frequently get things wrong.

Scream 7: Latest News

A Filming Window Is Revealed

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After months of negative news, the latest update confirms the filming start window for Scream 7. The news was broken by Sydney Prescott actor Neve Campbell in an interview with IndieWire, who mentioned that the upcoming horror sequel won't start shooting until December 2024. The delay, explains Campbell, is because of her busy schedule as well as director Kevin Williamson's availability. Williamson penned the original script for 1996's Scream and was brought on to replace Christopher Landon earlier in 2024.

Read Campbell's full comments below:

I’m very, very happy (Scream 7 is) happening. We were supposed to start in September, but we’re going to start in December now because of some scheduling stuff with Kevin and myself and having that all aligned. And actually, I think it’s a good thing, because we’re going to be able to have the time to get it really right. So I’m very excited about it.

Scream 7 Is Confirmed

A New Movie Is On The Way Despite BTS Turmoil

With the movie shooting in late 2024, the earliest it could arrive in theaters is late 2025 or early 2026.

Scream 7 is confirmed to be in development. The news came with the announcement that the franchise would see a change in directors. In August 2023, it was revealed that Radio Silence would not be returning for Scream 7 after having directed 2022's Scream and Scream 6. Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) was initially tapped to direct the film, but left in December 2023 amid the cast shakeups. Original Scream writer Kevin Williamson will now direct Scream 7.

Scream VI premiered on March 10, 2023.

The movie is currently slated to begin filming in December 2024, but there are still many unknown details about the project. The departure of original stars Jenna Ortega and Melissa Berrera caused a cascade effect which eventually led to a complete creative overhaul. With the movie shooting in late 2024, the earliest it could arrive in theaters is late 2025 or early 2026.

Scream 7 Cast

Neve Campbell Reprises Her Role Amid Major Shakeups

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Though a wholesale return from Scream VI seemed imminent, the departure of Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter) was a major blow for the sequel. Another blow came shortly afterward when Melissa Berrera (Sam Carpenter) was fired from Scream 7 for her controversial views about the conflict in Israel. This leaves the fate of the "Core Four" in jeopardy, and it is uncertain if Jasmin Savoy Brown will return as Mindy alongside Mason Gooding as Chad.

With such high-profile departures, Spyglass has made it their top priority to get franchise star Neve Campbell back in her familiar role as Sydney Prescott, and the studio succeeded at wooing the '90s icon back after a pay dispute. Additionally, Patrick Dempsey as Det. Mark Kincaid and Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers are also planned for Scream 7, but they have not been officially cast yet. This shift toward previous stars may mean the cast of Scream VI won't be back.

Scream 7 Story

Where The Latest Sequel Can Take The Franchise

Scream Movie Release Year Rotten Tomatoes Score Scream 1996 81% Scream 2 1997 82% Scream 3 2000 41% Scream 4 2011 60% Scream 2022 76% Scream VI 2023 76%

While no Scream 7 story details are known at this point, there are a lot of interesting directions the next chapter could go. The departure of Barrera has put an end to Sam's storyline, and the new movie will likely move on from her character. There are also some fun possibilities with returning characters being the perfect Ghostface in Scream 7. Scream 6 even included a nod to the popular fan theory that Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard) from the original Scream did not actually die and could return.

It will also be interesting to see how Scream 7 sets itself apart as a piece of meta commentary, as each Scream installment has had fun with setting the rules for the type of movie the characters find themselves in. The original Scream was about horror movies, Scream 2 was sequels, Scream 3 was trilogies, Scream 4 was reboots, 2022's Scream was legacy sequels, and Scream 6 established itself as commentary on continuing franchises. That will be a hard one to expand on in Scream 7, especially as Scream 6 didn't do a great job of defining the rules of a franchise.