Despite speculation that the movie might wind up being shelved after losing stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, we found out earlier this month that Scream VII is still very much alive, and will move forward with a new director in original Scream creator and writer Kevin Williamson.
We also got word that Neve Campbell - who dropped out of the last movie over a pay dispute - will reprise her role as iconic final girl, Sidney Prescott.
It sounds like Sidney won't be the only familiar face returning for the next instalment in the long-running slasher franchise, however.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, Scream 3 actor Patrick Dempsey is currently in talks to return as Detective Mark Kincaid.
Kincaid hasn't been seen since the epilogue of the third movie, and although Dempsey was supposed to reprise the role for Scream 4, a scheduling conflict with Transformers: Dark of the Moon forced him to drop out. In 2022's Scream revival, it's strongly hinted that Mark and Sidney ended up getting married, which was later confirmed by directors Radio Silence.
Richtman also mentions that Courteney Cox is "a lock" to return as Gale Weathers, who (miraculously) survived her encounter with Ghostface in the previous movie.
Campbell's return comes on the heels of the news that Barrera was fired from the movie for sharing "anti-Semitic" comments on social media, with Spyglass Entertainment releasing a statement explaining why they decided to drop her from the film shortly after, citing "rhetoric that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech." We'd later learn that co-star Ortega had also parted ways with the horror sequel, but actually left the project some time before Barrera's firing.
We don't know exactly why, but the usual "scheduling conflict" reason was given to the trades.
More recently, director Christopher Landon announced that he had also decided to step away from the movie.
“Sidney Prescott is coming back!” Campbell posted on Instagram when her return was made official. “It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned. I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
"Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter," reads Scream VI's synopsis. "In Scream VI, Melissa Barrera ("Sam Carpenter"), Jasmin Savoy Brown ("Mindy Meeks-Martin"), Mason Gooding ("Chad Meeks-Martin"), Jenna Ortega ("Tara Carpenter"), Hayden Panettiere ("Kirby Reed"), and Courtney Cox ("Gale Weathers") return to their roles in the franchise alongside Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra and Samara Weaving."