Summary
TheScream 7cast may not include Mindy Meeks-Martin actress Jasmin Savoy Brown, who co-starred with Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera in the previous two films.
Over 10 years after the fourthScreamfilm, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett revivedWes Craven’s belovedScreamfranchisewithScream(2022) andScreamVI(2023). While featuring some returns from legacyScreamcharacters, the reboots introduced a new slate of actors led by Ortega and Barrera, who played sisters Tara and Sam, with Brown and Mason Gooding, who played twins Mindy and Chad. Though others appear, they get killed off, leaving those deemed the “Core Four” standing at the end of both movies.
At the 2024 Emmys, Brown was asked byEntertainment Tonightabout her hopes for futureScreaminstallments. She hopes the Core Four’s achievements will “be celebrated forever,” saying she’s proud to have four people of color leading the horror film. The cast happily reunited at MPTF’s 17th Annual Evening Before Gala on January 13, with Brown saying the unplanned picture-worthy meet-up made her happy to see her “family.” Regarding her involvement inScream 7, she told ET she has yet to receive a call about a deal, saying, “If you want to ask Spyglass what they’re doing, you can.”
Spyglass has been under fire after letting Barrera go back in November for her social media posts related to the Isreal-Hamas war in which she showed support for Palestine, followed by the announcement of Ortega’s coincidental departure a day later, reportedly due to scheduling conflicts withWednesdayandBeetlejuice 2. Christopher Landon, the director attached toScream 7, made it clear he had nothing to do with the decision in a since-deleted X/Twitter post. On December 23,Landon confirmed his exit fromScream 7, claiming it was “a dream job that turned into a nightmare,” leaving the franchise’s future in shambles. A full creative reboot with a new script will now be in the works by screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, but a new director has not yet been attached.
Now, eyes are onScreamveteran Neve Campbell, who plays Sidney Prescott, to return after turning downScream 6over a salary dispute. Campbell was recently asked at the BAFTA Tea Event on January 13 aboutScream’s future potential, tellingIndieWireit’s sad to see them struggle after their years of success. She claims she’d return “given the right circumstances,” echoing a statement she made years ago about the different treatment she would’ve received if she had been a man “carrying a franchise for 25 years.” Now, some people are speculating if Campbell’s circumstances to return would include bringing Barrera back.
Fans believe, to move forward, the franchise would need another full reboot and perhaps a new production company to back it. While people would like to see the Core Fourcharacters return inScream 7, it doesn’t seem plausible any time soon. Considering some characters have heavy plot armor attached to them, including Mindy and Chad, seeing some of them return to become victims themselves interests the horror franchises' fanbase, with Sidney reprising her role as the main character. The amount of legacy characters they have left also proves that an entirely new cast may not be needed. However, theorizing aside, most people don’t want a newScreamwithout Barrera’s absence being resolved in one way or another, as plenty are still unhappy with her firing.
Scream 7is in development at Paramount.
Scream
The Scream movie and TV franchise began with the release of the first film in 1996. Directed by horror master Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the deconstruction of slasher movies was an instant cultural, critical, and financial hit. Neve Campbell, who plays ongoing final girl Sidney Prescott, has become a horror icon in her own right, along with Ghostface, the only horror villain whose identity is always changing. Nearly three decades later, the Scream franchise shows no signs of slowing down.
