“Scream 7” is set to feature another familiar face from the franchise, as Courteney Cox is in talks to return for the next installment in the slasher series, TheWrap has learned.
Cox has played reporter Gale Weathers in every single “Scream” film since the original premiered in 1996. She is the only actor to do so.
The seventh “Scream” has already secured its final girl, as the series confirmed that Neve Campbell, aka Sidney Prescott, would return (she was not in “Scream VI” due to contract disputes over compensation.)
It’s unclear who else will join the horror cast at this point, but there are rumblings that Patrick Dempsey, who played Detective Mark Kincaid in “Scream 3” and, in canon, became Sidney’s husband sometime after, is close to joining as well.
It’s been tricky putting this film (and its cast) together – originally Melissa Barrera was set to return, until pro-Palestinian social media posts led to her dismissal. Shortly after it was announced that Barrera was fired, Jenna Ortega, who played her younger sister in the fourth and fifth chapters, also said that she would not be returning. Subsequently, Christopher Landon, the filmmaker behind “Happy Death Day” and “Freaky,” who was set to helm the seventh “Scream,” announced that he too would be departing, saying that it was a dream job that turned into a nightmare.
But hope was not lost! When Campbell announced her return, it was also revealed that Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first, second and fourth installments, effectively creating and shepherding the franchise with Wes Craven, would be back to direct. Oddly, he wouldn’t have a hand in writing, instead working from a script by Guy Busick and a story by Busick and James Vanderbilt.
For now, we patiently wait for more details about the seventh film, including who else is going to star.
Variety first reported the news.
