‘Scream 7’: Major Alumni Set To Return

Scream 7 is revving up to give fans an unexpected callback to their ‘favorite scary movie.’ Matthew Lillard, Scott Foley and David Arquette are somehow reprising their franchise roles, despite being killed off in the first, third and fifth Scream respectively. As of yet, there are no details on how each character is coming back from the dead.

Scream 7 will once again feature Neve Campbell in the role of series protagonist Sidney Prescott, after she didn’t appear in Scream VI due to a pay dispute. The latest film is a quasi-reboot to Scream 5, which was itself a reboot of the first four movies, after Spyglass Media Group opted not to bring back Melissa Barrera as protagonist Sam Carpenter after her comments on Israel and Palestine. Jenna Ortega (who played Sam’s sister Tara) soon dropped out of the seventh film after. The sixth Scream was the series’ most popular entry to date; it released in March 2023 and grossed over $160 million worldwide.

David Arquette’s return is the most surprising of the three; unlike the other two returning veterans, his character Deputy Dewey Riley was never behind the murderous mask of Ghostface, leaving out any possibility of a ‘This Ghostface faked his death’ explanation for his return. Additionally, he was murdered rather decisively in the fifth Scream by Amber Freeman, who was played by recent Best Actress winner Mikey Madison.

Scott Foley’s role in Scream 3 was that of Roman Bridger, the film director who was revealed to be Sidney Prescott’s half-brother and that movie’s Ghostface. He had already faked his death multiple times in that movie, but was shot in the head by Arquette’s character after his defeat, at the request of Sidney. Given that this is Scream, it’s certainly possible he could’ve faked his death yet again.

Matthew Lillard played Stuart ‘Stu’ Macher in the first Scream, and ended up being one of that movie’s two killers. He met his demise after chasing Sidney down and attempting to strangle her before she memorably dropped a TV on his head, electrifying him to death. (His other half, Billy Loomis, appeared in Scream VI as a Force Ghost-esque guide for that movie’s protagonist Sam Carpenter.)

In Scream 7, Courteney Cox will reprise her iconic role as Sidney’s frenemy Gale Weathers. Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown are the only characters returning from the previous Scream reboot series, as siblings Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin respectively. Comedian Joel McHale will play Sidney’s husband, Mark. Isabel May will play Sidney’s daughter. Mark Consuelos, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, Anna Camp, and Ethan Embry have all joined the cast in undisclosed roles. And, of course, Roger L. Jackson will return as the voice of Ghostface.

Scream 7 will release in theaters on February 27, 2026.