'Scream 7': Major Star Set To Return for Upcoming Film

When Ghostface returns to the screen to unleash another reign of terror, he will be stalking at least one familiar face. Despite her busy schedule after the writers' strike concludes, Jenna Ortega has reportedly committed to Scream 7 and is poised to reprise her character of Tara Carpenter, according to a new report from The Wrap.

Ortega's Tara is a member of the Core Four, the group of four survivors who survived the most recent Ghostface attacks in Woodsboro and, most recently, survived the masked killer's terror in New York City on Scream VI. She is also the younger sister of Melissa Barrera's Sam Carpenter, the daughter of Billy Loomis. However, while Tara is a crucial member of the film's, there had been some concern that she wouldn't return for the franchise's seventh installment.

A rising star, Ortega is currently attached to numerous projects, meaning her schedule post-strike is packed. The actress most recently appeared as Wednesday in Netflix's hit Addams Family spinoff Wednesday. According to reports, Wednesday Season 2 is at "top of mind" for Netflix once the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike concludes. Ortega is also attached to Beetlejuice 2 and set to star as Lydia Deetz's daughter in the movie, which still needs to finish filming. With both Wednesday Season 2 and Beetlejuice 2 needing to film, some believed Ortega would need to step away from Scream. It is unclear how Ortega's commitment to Scream 7 will impact film or a potential release date.

At this time, there is little information on the upcoming movie, including plot and cast. First confirmed to be in the works in August, Scream 7 will be directed by Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon, who is taking over for Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the filmmaking team known as Radio Silence who directed Scream (2022) and Scream VI. They continued the franchise after its creator, Wes Craven, died in 2015.

Along with Ortega and Barrera, the two most recent additions to the franchise starred Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, and legacy Scream member Courteney Cox. Hayden Panettiere reprised her role as Kirby for Scream VI, with both Neve Campbell and David Arquette appearing in the 2022 film. Campbell did not return for the sixth movie due to a contractual dispute, and it is unclear if there is potential for her to return in Scream 7. Scream and Scream VI were box office hits, with the most recent film landing the biggest opening weekend box office yet for the entire franchise and becoming the first in the series to cross the $100 million mark domestically since 1997's Scream 2.