Courteney Cox Reportedly Returning for ‘Scream 7’

Courteney Cox will return as Gale Weathers in Scream 7, making her one of just three returning franchise stars currently committed to the project alongside Neve Campbell and Mason Gooding. Variety reported Wednesday that after much speculation surrounding her return for the upcoming installment in the long-running meta horror franchise, the actress “has finally signed on” for the film. Her casting was later confirmed via the official Scream franchise account, which shared Variety’s report.

Cox has been a Scream staple since the franchise’s start in 1996. Her character, an investigative journalist–turned–true crime author, has appeared in all six previous films, and her return in Scream 7 will make her the only actor to appear in all seven films in the franchise. Campbell, the franchise’s final girl, made the “very difficult decision” to sit out Scream VI in 2023 due to a payment dispute. She announced back in March that she would be reprising her role as Sidney Prescott in the seventh installment. David Arquette, who rounded out the original legacy trio of Wes Craven’s 1996 Scream, was also absent from Scream VI after his character was killed in Scream (2022).

Also returning for the film is Mason Gooding, whose character Chad Meeks-Martin was part of the Core Four of Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023). Jasmin Savoy Brown, who plays Chad’s sister Mindy, has not officially signed on yet. Meanwhile, both Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, who starred as sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter, will not return.

The cast is currently being rounded out by Isabel May who is set to play Sidney’s daughter, as well as Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, and Anna Camp in undisclosed roles.

Set to hit theaters worldwide on February 27, 2026, Scream 7 is directed by Kevin Williamson, who took on the role after original director Christopher Landon exited he project in 2023.

“It’s been nearly 30 years since my very first script, Scream, was directed by the legendary Wes Craven. I never would have predicted what it would become. Or that I would be directing the seventh installment of the franchise,” Williamson said. “I am overcome with gratitude and excitement, and I can’t wait to take this journey with Neve and the entire Scream family as we bring back Sidney Prescott in the next chapter of the Scream franchise. Thank you to all the Scream fans. You are the gift that keeps giving.”

Scream 7 is set to follow the success of Scream VI, which slashed its way to a franchise-record domestic gross exceeding $108 million. The franchise as a whole has earned more than $900 million in worldwide box office receipts, per Deadline.