Movies

Courteney Cox Hasn’t Signed on for ‘Scream 7’ Yet

The actress has starred as Gale Weathers in every Scream movie since 1996.

Photo Credit: Brownie Harris/Paramount Pictures

Courteney Cox may not be answering the iconic “do you like scary movies?” phone call another time. Despite starring in all previous six installments of the Scream franchise, the actress has not yet signed on to return as Gale Weathers in Spyglass Media Group and Paramount Pictures’ Scream 7.

Set for a February 2026 release, the upcoming film was first announced in August 2023 and has undergone some behind-the-scenes shakeups, including the loss of recent film leads Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, as well as original director Christopher Landon. Although the film at once seemed poised for disaster, new life was breathed into it when Neve Campbell announced in March that she would be returning as Sidney Prescott. Entertainment Weekly reported just a few days later that Cox was “currently in talks” to join Campbell in the upcoming installment, but addressing her involvement in Scream 7 when speaking to Variety in September, the actress revealed that she wasn’t yet attached to the project.

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“I’m not officially signed on. ’m not, but there will be a Scream 7,” the actress said, adding of director Kevin Williamson, “You can’t get better than that choice. It’s going to be fun…. They’re rewriting all the time. It’s not like I don’t know what’s going on.”

While Campbell is considered to be Scream’s final girl, Cox is something of a Scream legend herself. The actress is the only cast member who has starred in every film in the franchise after Campbell sat out of Scream VI due to a payment dispute and David Arquette’s Dewey Riley met a grim fate in Scream (2022). Cox first took on the role of fictional reporter Gale Weathers in 1996’s Scream, and cemented herself as a legacy character when she reprised the role in Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), Scream (2022), and Scream VI (2023).

Currently, there are only two franchise stars set to return for Scream 7 – Campbell and Mason Gooding, who will reprise his role as Core Four member Chad Meeks-Martin. Jasmin Savoy Brown, who plays Chad’s sister Mindy, has not officially signed on yet, and fellow Core Four members Barrera and Ortega are sitting out.

The upcoming film is bringing on a new cast of characters that includes Isabel May as Sidney’s daughter, as well as McKenna Grace, Sam Rechner, and Asa Germann. Meanwhile, Patrick Dempsey is reportedly being eyed for a return as Det. Mark Kincaid, the character he portrayed in 2000′s Scream 3 and who is married to Sidney. While appearing on Today in October 2024, Dempsey teased that he was in talks to return and was “waiting on the script. There has been a conversation about it. I haven’t seen anything yet, so we’ll see what happens.”

Scream 7 is directed by Williamson with Guy Busick writing. Project X Entertainment’s James Vanderbilt, William Sherak and Paul Neinstein are producing. The film is scheduled to release in theaters on Feb. 27, 2026.