If one of the franchise’s stars was worried enough aboutScream 7to turn it down, everyone should be concerned about it, too. The upcomingScreammoviehas undergone many changes over the course of the past few years.It was originally going to feature the returns of Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera as Tara and Sam Carpenter, respectively,to assumingly close out their storylines and complete a trilogy that began withScream(2022). However, after the directors of the fifth and sixth films, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, exited the project in August 2023, it was all downhill from there.
TheScream 7cast and crew began filming in January 2025, aiming for a release date of August 21, 2025.
Barrera was fired fromScream 7in November 2023, andshortly after that, news broke that Ortega wouldn’t be returning either.Consequently, the upcoming slasher film changed drastically. Kevin Williamson, the creator of theScreammovie series, took over as director, while Guy Busick, who wroteScream(2022) andScream VIwith James Vanderbilt, wrote the script based on a story by himself and Vanderbilt. Additionally, it was announced that numerous franchise actors, like Neve Campbell, would reprise their roles inScream 7, further proving the mad scramble behind the scenes to get the sequel back on track.
Jenna Ortega Says Scream 7 Was “Falling Apart” & It’s Easy To See Why
The Sequel Has Been A Mess From The Start
During an interview withThe Cutin April 2024,Jenna Ortega disclosed the real reason why she exitedScream 7.It was previously thought that scheduling conflicts (as she wasfilmingWednesdayseason 2) were to blame for the actress departing the movie. However, according to Ortega, that wasn’t the case. She toldThe Cut:
“It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling. The Melissa [Barrera] stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If Scream 7 wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time.”
Based on everything that has happened behind the scenes (at least, what is public knowledge), it’s understandablewhy Ortega wouldn’t want to be involved withScream 7. She said it perfectly — everything was “falling apart.“It would be tough for any film production to bounce back from all those changes and controversies,which is why so many people (including myself) are concerned about what’s to come. Hopefully,Scream 7will be a masterpiece, proving us all wrong for being worried. However, until it premieres, we can only go with what we got, and what we got is the feeling of impending doom.
I Totally Agree With Matthew Lillard’s Scream 7 Fears, But His Comments Make Me Feel So Much Better About Stu’s Return
I agree with Matthew Lillard’s fears about his return as Stu Macher in Scream 7, but at the same time, these fears are a good sign for the movie.
Scream 7 Is Relying On Big Returns To Fill The Void (& That’s A Big Risk)
Past Ghostface Killers Are Returning
In the wake of all the changes and controversies, the producers ofScream 7seemingly decided that the best course of action to counteract everything that had gone wrong was to bring back some familiar faces.Screamfranchise actorslike Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox are understandably reprising their roles in the upcoming sequel. Cox has been in the first six movies, after all. However, after it was announced thatMatthew Lillard would appear as Stu Macher (a long-dead Ghostface)it became clear thatScream 7is relying heavily on big returns to ensure its success.
Ghostface (voice)
Sidney’s daughter
David Arquette
Dewey Riley
OtherdeadScreamcharacterslikeRoman Bridger and Dewey Riley are set to return in the seventh film,as well. It’s unclear in what capacity, but both are as dead as anyone can be in this universe. So, they likely won’t be coming back alive. Ultimately, there is a reason why Paramount Pictures revealed the returns of Roman, Stu, and Dewey ahead ofScream 7’s premiere instead of saving them as a surprise — the sequel’s foundation is a mess and the studio must cover it up with distracting, exciting faces.
Scream 7
Cast
Scream 7 is the latest entry in the longstanding horror franchise, continuing the legacy with new chilling events.
