The first trailer for Scream 7 was recently released, featuring Neve Campbell's return as Sidney Prescott. The movie, however, is much different than its initial iteration, as it was originally set to focus on Melissa Barrera's Sam and Jenna Ortega's Tara Carpenter. Plans for the sequel changed when Barrera was fired from it after making statements on social media regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict. A day after her firing, Ortega dropped out of the film. Following that, director Christopher Landon exited the project as well.
Scream 7 was then reworked, and Neve Campbell—who had previously decided not to return for Scream 6 due a pay dispute—was signed on to star. The film is now centered around Sidney and her daughter (Isabel May) as they're forced to defend themselves against a new Ghostface. As mentioned, the first trailer for the movie recently came out, but its release has courted controversy on social media, as people are expressing their dissatisfaction with the film:
As reported by Deadline, the Palestinian-led movement Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement is also supporting a boycott against the film, supported by various other organizations.
In 2024, in an interview with The Independent, Barrera spoke about her firing and how it affected her:
"It was the darkest and hardest year of my life, and I had to reevaluate everything. There were times where I felt like my life was over. It was quiet for like 10 months. I was still getting offers for small things here and there—I'm not going to lie and say there was nothing—but [the message] was, ‘Oh, she probably doesn’t have work, she’ll say yes to anything.'"
In 2025, nearly two years after her exit from Scream 7, Ortega opened up about the real reason for leaving the horror franchise: "It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling. It was all kind of falling apart. If 'Scream VII' 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."
Furthermore, Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky) spoke to Ashley Cullins for her book, "Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror." There, he explained why he stepped down from the director's chair, stating that Sam was supposed to be the main character in Scream 7: "There was no movie anymore. The whole script was about her. I didn't sign on to make 'a 'Scream' movie.' I signed on to make that movie. When that movie no longer existed, I moved on."
Scream 7 will arrive in theaters on February 27, 2026.