Scream 7: Release Date, 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. With that in mind, the upcoming sequel seems to be taking a step back to the familiar casts of the earlier movies.

Scream 7: Latest News

Patrick Dempsey Clarifies His Involvement

Shortly after the upcoming slasher sequel revealed its release date, the latest news comes as Patrick Dempsey discusses Scream 7. The actor, who previously appeared in 2000’s Scream 3, was rumored to be returning for the next movie as his character, Mark Kincaid. However, it wasn’t until October 2024 that the Grey’s Anatomy alum addressed the rumors, saying “There has been a conversation about it,” before clarifying that he hasn’t officially signed on yet. However, Dempsey did cheekily express his enthusiasm for the project when he said “it’s always good to have a job.“

Though he hasn’t officially signed on yet, conversations are taking place which could easily lead to his return in Scream 7. With Neve Campbell already signed on (after a pay dispute kept her out of Scream 6), it shouldn’t be too difficult to get Dempsey to join as well. Besides his turn in Scream 3 at the turn of the new millennium, Dempsey also recently starred in the holiday horror movie, Thanksgiving, for Eli Roth.

Read Dempsey’s full comments below:

I’m waiting on the script. There has been a conversation about it. I haven’t seen anything yet. So, we’ll see what happens, but Neve was actually on the show. Which is oddly enough, she played my sister on
Grey’s Anatomy
and we worked together almost 26 – 27 years ago. I think it was ’99.

Yeah. You know, it’s always good to have a job.

Scream 7 Release Date

A New Movie Is On The Way Despite BTS Turmoil

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. Though the movie is shooting in late 2024, it has now been confirmed that Scream 7 will arrive on Friday, February 27, 2026. With such a long time between production start and the release date, there’s little doubt the slasher sequel will arrive on time.

Scream 7 Cast

Neve Campbell Reprises Her Role Amid Major Shakeups

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 has been approached to return as Det. Mark Kincaid alongside Courtney Cox as Gale Weathers for Scream 7, but they have not been officially cast yet. Both actors have expressed enthusiasm about the project, and work continues behind the scenes to bring them back.

Scream 7 Story

Where The Latest Sequel Can Take The Franchise

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 is confirmed to be focusing on Neve Campbell’s Sydney Prescott. 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.