‘Scream 7’ Cast: Every Actor Returning to the Franchise

Several fan-favorite Scream actors are taking another stab at the franchise. Directed by Kevin Williamson and set to hit theaters on Feb. 27, 2026, multiple characters have been confirmed to be returning for Scream 7 – some from the dead.

The upcoming movie began filing in January and will mark Williamson’s directorial debut. Guy Busick, who co-wrote Scream 5 and Scream 6, wrote the script for Scream 7. Plot details are being kept under wraps.

Although Scream 7 was originally set to continue the story of the Carpenter sisters – Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) – following the soft reboots of Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023), things took a turn after Barrera was fired from the franchise and Ortega backed out of the film. The film was largely in limbo until it was announced that Neve Campbell would reprise her role as Sidney Prescott. In the months since, even more franchise veterans have joined the killer cast.

Keep scrolling to see every character and actor slashing their way back into the franchise in Scream 7.

Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott

After sitting out Scream (2022) due to a pay dispute, Neve Campbell will make her return as Sidney Prescott in Scream 7. The franchise’s final girl announced her return in March 2024, telling fans, “Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!!”

“It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies,” she continued. “My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned.”

Campbell has been a franchise staple since its start, first taking on the role of Sidney in the original 1996 movie. She reprised the role in the four later installments, with Scream (2022) being the only movie she hasn’t appeared in.

David Arquette as Dewey Riley

Dewey Riley is back on the case. In February, it was announced that David Arquette will return to the Scream franchise in the role of the beloved detective.

Dewey is another legacy character in the franchise, having first appeared in 1996’s Scream as a bumbling but brave police deputy who ultimately helped take down the Ghostface killers. He went on to hold main roles in Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), and Scream (2022).

News of Arquette’s return came as quite the surprise, as his character was killed by Ghostface murderer Amber Freeman in 2022’s fifth installment, after which the actor cast doubt on fans ever seeing Dewey again.

Asked by a fan if there was a chance to see Dewey “in some form,” such as a flashback, during a July 2024 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Arquette said, “I don’t think so — I mean, I don’t know! I guess there’s a chance, but I haven’t gotten any calls or anything.”

Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers

While Sidney Prescott may be the franchise’s main protagonist, Courteney Cox’s Gale Weathers is the only character to have appeared in every film of the franchise, something that isn’t about to change in Scream 7. Cox is set to reprise her role as the investigative journalist–turned–true crime author in the upcoming film. Her casting was confirmed in December, just two months after Cox told Variety that she was “excited” that the film would be directed by Williamson.

“You can’t get better than that choice. It’s going to be fun,” she said.

When fans last saw Gale, she had just barely survived a Ghostface attack in Scream VI.

Matthew Lillard as Stu Macher (Presumably)

Perhaps the most shocking casting announcement to come from Scream 7 is that of Matthew Lillard. The actor holds the title of being one of the first Ghostface killers after he portrayed Stu Macher in the franchise’s debut installment alongside Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis. However, the film ended with his apparent death when a TV unit was dropped on his head and he was electrocuted.

Lillard confirmed his headscratching return to the franchise in a Jan. 30 Instagram video, in which he scrawled out a simple message that was a callback to the first film: “My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me!!”

It remains to be seen how Lillard will return to the franchise. There’s been a long-standing theory that Stu may have actually had an identical twin, though it’s possible his character will be brought back by way of flashbacks or a hallucination.

Scott Foley as Roman Bridger

Equally as confusing as Lillard’s return is that of Scott Foley. The actor starred as Roman Bridger, the director of Stab 3, in the Hollywood set 2000’s Scream 3. It was revealed later in the film that not only was Roman Disney’s secret half-brother and the Ghostface killer who’d been targeting the actors of the Stab film, but also the orchestrator of the original Woodsboro killings.

He was killed in the movie’s third act after a tense standoff with the remaining characters, during which he was stabbed multiple times and ultimately shot by Dewey.

Following the February announcement that Foley will return in Scream 7, Foley confirmed during an appearance on LIVE with Kelly and Mark that he will not be playing a different character, but will instead be portraying Roman.

“I had just had a conversation with Kevin Williamson who’s directing — wrote the first few Screams, is directing this one,” he said. “nd he wanted me to come back and play a small part. And I was so excited to sort of revisit this character even though he died in the first one.”

Jasmin Savoy Brown as Mindy Meeks-Martin

Jasmine Savoy Brown will reprise her role as Mindy Meeks-Martin, the twin of Chad Meeks-Martin and the niece of original Scream character Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy), in Scream 7. The character first appeared in Scream (2022) and is one of the “Core Four” alongside Mason Gooding’s Chad, Barrera’s Sam, and Ortega’s Tara.

Mindy, the first queer character in the franchise, fills a hole left by her uncle’s passing, serving as the survivor’s go-to resource for all things horror, often breaking down the rules of the genre. She has survived two Ghostface attacks so far in the fifth and sixth installments.

Mason Gooding as Chad Meeks-Martin

Mason Gooding will take a stab at more Scream. The actor, who has appeared in both Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023), has signed on to reprise his role as Chad Meeks-Martin in Scream 7.

Addressing his return to the franchise and his onscreen reunion with Savoy Brown, Gooding, who is the son of Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr., told Entertainment Tonight in January said Brown’s casting “s it relates to myself, was unknowingly basically being granted a sister.”

“I check in with her all the time. I feel like being able to step into a character that has been inundated with so much love, on set and in general, has allowed Jasmin and I to fall into a rhetoric that’s super comfortable for us, whether it’s like talking on a scene or decisions made,” he continued. “Ultimately, I owe to her how lovely she is and how encompassing it is.”

During his last Scream appearance, Gooding’s Chad ended the film being whisked away in an ambulance after surviving yet another brutal Ghostface stabbing.