Scream 7: Release date speculation and latest cast news

Things then went from bad to worse a month later, with director Christopher Landon announcing on Twitter/X that he was stepping down from the project, describing it as "a dream job that turned into a nightmare".

Those successive exits appeared to plunge the film into a state of disarray, but now some more positive news has broken regarding the return of the franchise's most iconic character: Sidney Prescott.

Neve Campbell announced on her Instagram account that she was "excited" to be leading the cast for the new movie, writing: "I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!"

Meanwhile, she also confirmed that the film had found a new director in franchise veteran Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first four films in the franchise but whose only previous directing credit is the largely forgotten 1999 film Teaching Mrs Tingle.

Despite those additions, it remains to be seen just how the franchise will navigate the departure of two of its biggest stars. By the end of Scream VI, Sam (Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Ortega) had been firmly established as the future of the franchise – so what is the plan for the next film?

Read on for everything we know so far.

Who will be in the Scream 7 cast?

It's now been confirmed that Neve Campbell will be returning to lead the new film as her iconic character Sidney Prescott, having sat out the previous entry as the result of a pay dispute.

She announced the news on her Instagram account, writing: "I’m so excited to announce this news!!! Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!! It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies.

"My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned. I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!

However, while each of the more recent core Scream cast members made it through the sixth entry in one piece, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega will not be reprising their roles in Scream VII.

Barrera was dropped from the film following her Instagram posts about the Israel-Hamas war.

In one Instagram post, Barrera wrote: "Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself," adding: "We don’t need more hate. No Islamophobia. No Anti-semitism."

Other posts shared by Barrera included claims that Gaza was "currently being treated like a concentration camp".

A spokesperson for Spyglass, the studio behind the Scream films, released a statement to Variety saying: "Spyglass's stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech."

Barrera has since broken her silence on the studio's decision, insisting: "Silence is not an option for me."

In a statement shared on her Instagram Stories, Barrera said: "First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people.

"As a Latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need,” the statement continued.

“Every person on this earth- regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status- deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom."

She continued: "I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism. I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom."

The next day, it was confirmed that Jenna Ortega would also not be returning to the horror franchise due to her Wednesday season 2 shooting schedule.

Ortega's exit was not influenced by Barrera's firing, according to Variety, and was in the works months ago before the SAG-AFTRA strike kicked off.

As for the rest of the Scream VI cast, it was expected that Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown would reprise their roles in Scream VII.

In addition, we could also see more from Hayden Panettiere's fan-favourite FBI agent Kirby Reed as well as Courteney Cox's tough reporter Gale Weathers, both of whom narrowly avoided death in the latest instalment.

Of course, no Scream movie would be complete without Roger L Jackson as the sinister voice of Ghostface, so expect to hear him down the other end of the phone in any future films.

Scream VI also featured a brief reference to Matthew Lillard's character Stu Macher – one of the killers in the first film – which alluded to the possibility of him still being alive (as has long been speculated by fans).

When quizzed on the idea, co-director Gillett told Entertainment Tonight: "Anything's possible... We brought back Billy as a hallucination."

Indeed, actor Skeet Ulrich has appeared in both 2022's Scream and Scream VI as a figment of Sam Carpenter's imagination, encouraging her to live up to her killing potential as his daughter.

Scream 7 release date speculation

While Scream VII has officially been confirmed, a release date is yet to be announced – and it seems that due to a combination of the now-resolved SAG-AFTRA strike and the aforementioned cast and director changes we could be waiting a while.

We'll keep this page updated as and when we hear anything, but it seems unlikely that a release date is imminent.

Scream 7 plot theories

Scream VI paid close attention to the troubled mind of Sam Carpenter, exploring the strange urge she feels to don the Ghostface costume and become a murderer herself, just as her father did decades earlier.

In the closing moments of the film, she drops a Ghostface mask at the scene of the final stand-off – having worn it during her fight with Detective Wayne Bailey (Dermot Mulroney) – potentially meaning she's leaving those frightening thoughts behind.

However, if not herself, the discarding of the mask could provoke another twisted individual to take up the mantle – thus setting in motion another entry in the franchise...

Is there a trailer for Scream 7?

Sadly, nothing yet. We'll update this page if any new footage is released.

Check out more of our Film and Sci-Fi coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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