Scream is a franchise in free fall. After two successful quasi-reboot sequels and a plan to seemingly move away from the series’ roots, Paramount and Spyglass Media appear to be bringing Neve Campbell back to Scream. The actor announced her return to the series on Tuesdaybut did not provide any further details about the story Scream 7 were.
After an incredibly successful shakeup in 2022 that brought in new franchise stars like Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, the franchise suffered one misstep after another. The trouble started in 2023 with the release of Scream VIwhich was still a considerable success at the box office, but was received somewhat more cautiously than its predecessor.
For many fans, one of the most disappointing elements of the film was that it sidelined the series’ protagonist, Sidney Prescott (Campbell), who had appeared in every previous film. This time, Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), the show’s other regular, was forced to simply handwave Sidney’s absence in a throwaway line of dialogue. However, as it turned out, Campbell refused to make the film because She felt that the studio’s salary offer was too low given their importance and history in the franchise.
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Image: Paramount Pictures
Although fans missed Sidney when Paramount announced plans for it Scream 7would bring back the main characters from the last two films, expectations and excitement were still high – not least because of the fabulous Christopher Landon (Happy death anniversary) was tasked with directing the new entry.
Shortly before production begins Spyglass quickly fired the Barrera, the star of the previous two films, about her contributions to the Israel-Gaza conflict, which the studio deemed anti-Semitic. Shortly afterwards, Ortega also left the project. While The only reason given was scheduling differences, it seems very strange to me that the film isn’t being postponed to accommodate one of the biggest stars in the world. Finally, Landon left shortly after Barrera’s shot, leaving the project starless and directorless. At least until now.
Campbell announced her return to the series on Instagram on Tuesday and the original film’s writer and creator, Kevin Williams, has announced that he will direct the new entry. Guy Busick, co-writer of the previous two films, will handle the script Scream 7. While much of this feels like a reboot of the franchise, with two of the original leads returning to the franchise, it’s highly unclear what this new film might be about. Additionally, there is no information about which cast members from the previous film might return.
