Scream VII is now moving forward without the previous movie's leads, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, and while plot details are still under wraps, rumors have claimed that the story will revolve around Sidney (Neve Campbell), Gale (Courteney Cox) and some new characters defending Sid's family from some kind of Ghostface cult.
There have been conflicting reports about exactly how many masked maniacs will be targetting our returning heroes, but thanks to insider Daniel Richtman, we may have a little more to go on regarding the "younger leads" that are currently being cast.
Apparently, there will be a "big time jump" following the events of the last movie, presumably to allow for Sidney's children to have grown to appropriate slasher movie age. Richtman has also heard that this film will be at least partially set in a new town (ie, not Woodsboro), and is being developed as the first instalment in a new trilogy.
Patrick Dempsey is said to be in talks to return as Sidney's husband, Detective Mark Kincaid, but that's yet to be confirmed.
Following the departure of Barrera and Ortega, It also remains to be seen if the remaining members of the "Core Four", Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, will reprise their roles.
“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.”
Campbell's decision to return has stirred up some controversy due to Barrera's firing over social media posts that Spyglass deemed to be "anti-Semitic." A lot of fans felt that Campbell should have shown solidarity with her former co-star and declined the studio's offer.
Barrera was asked about the situation in a recent interview, and while she declined to comment on Campbell, she did reveal that she would consider returning to finish Sam Carpenter's story down the line.
“I’ve learned to never say never, but also a lot of things would have to happen for Sam to come back. For now, next page, next chapter, and then we’ll see what the future holds.”
“It’s definitely hard, because I was just in such a cloudy state of mind, but I was very fortunate,” the Abigail star told THR. “I had a lot of support from the people around me: my team and specifically my publicists — they just carried me.”
"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."