Ghostface will be back in Scream 7, and an important character from the franchise is more likely to also return now that their latest TV show has been canceled. Scream 7 will mark the third “requel” installment and the seventh movie overall in the slasher franchise, which took a different turn after the original director, Wes Craven, passed away in 2015. His original movies followed Sidney Prescott and her friends as they were stalked by different serial killers wearing the same Ghostface mask. However, the last two installments, classified as reboot sequels, or “requels,” mostly followed a new cast playing younger characters.
Now, the franchise might be going back to basics. The seventh Scream movie was confirmed shortly after Scream VI’s premiere, and it was expected to continue with the same new characters. However, recent Scream 7 cast exits might force the franchise in a new direction again. Since lead actors Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, who play sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter, have left the franchise and director Christopher Landon exited Scream 7, the sequel is going through massive changes. However, given the cancellation of another horror property, there seems to be a way to have one of the defining characters of the Scream movies back.
Shining Vale’s Cancellation Makes Courteney Cox’s Scream 7 Return Much More Likely
Gale coming back to the franchise is the next natural step.
Courteney Cox is the only actress to have starred in all six Scream films so far, and the cancellation of her show Shining Vale‘s makes her return in Scream 7 more likely. Cox plays reporter-turned-writer Gale Weathers in the movies and has been a constant in the slasher franchise. Although there’s no official confirmation of her return to Scream 7, it would make a lot of sense for her to reprise her role. Although her most recent encounter with Ghostface was rough, Gale is a strong final girl and survived the ending of Scream VI, leaving the door open for her return.
Until its cancellation, Shining Vale seemed a possible conflict for Cox’s future with the Scream franchise. In the Starz horror-comedy series, Cox played Pat Phelps, the matriarch of a troubled family that moved into a haunted house. The show also starred Gus Birney, Mira Sorvino, and Greg Kinnear. Despite its good reviews, Starz announced Shining Vale would not return for a third season, which could mean Cox is free to return in Scream 7, as she doesn’t have any other known projects in the wings.
Gale Weathers’ Comeback Fits Into The Sequel’s Legacy Character Plans
Another original character is rumored to be returning to the Scream franchise.
Following Melissa Barreras and Jenna Ortega’s sudden departures, there have been rumors that Scream 7‘s producers are planning on bringing back the franchise’s primary legacy character, meaning Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott. Scream 7 wouldn’t work with Campbell without Courteney Cox, so the latter is likely to return, too. The Scream franchise reinvented itself with 2022’s Scream, but everything is pointing in the direction of there being another major change, and legacy characters could be on that path. Sidney Prescott last appeared in the 2022 Scream’s ending, where she left in an ambulance with Cox’s Gale Weathers, so she never got her closure.
Campbell refused to return in Scream VI and departed the franchise over salary negotiations, but she might be convinced to return after the recent cast shake-ups. Although there aren’t any active negotiations going on, the seventh installment could also bring back Patrick Dempsey, who last appeared in 2002’s Scream 3. The plan to bring back Campbell, Cox, and Dempsey would fit the formula set by the requels, as Scream and Scream VI mirrored the two original films, and Scream 3 could inspire the seventh installment.
Returning Legacy Characters Won’t Make Up For Scream 7’s Lead Problem
Scream 7 needs to combine legacy characters.
Even though Courteney Cox is the only name that has appeared in all five sequels to the original Scream, her comeback alone wouldn’t guarantee the next film’s success. Assuming that Cox and Neve Campbell agree to return, bringing back the legacy characters might not fix the slasher franchise’s lead problems either. Cox had a significantly reduced role over the past two films, and although she’s still an iconic figure within the franchise, Gale was no longer one of the main characters. Sidney also took a step back in the 2022 Scream, becoming more of a supporting character.
The franchise had built up the new Scream world to have younger protagonists take over and become this generation’s new main characters. The leads were now the self-titled “Core 4,” made up of Sam, Tara, Mindy, and Chad, who all survived Scream VI. However, now that two of these leads have departed the franchise, the spark that reignited the Scream movies might be gone, too. The only way for Scream 7 to work is to combine the legacy characters Sidney and Gale with the remaining two younger leads, Mindy and Chad, and wrap up the slasher franchise for good.
