The production of Scream VII has faced a major shakeup behind-the-scenes. Star Melissa Barrera was fired by production company Spyglass and co-star Jenna Ortega seemingly left over scheduling conflicts. Now Spyglass is ordering a reworked version of Scream 7 – and they’re reportedly eyeing Neve Campbell.
Neve Campbell previously starred as Sidney Prescott in the original four Scream films, and she returned for a supporting role in 2022’s Scream. She was absent for the events of 2023’s Scream VI, with Campbell having declined to return over a salary dispute. As shared by Variety, however, Spyglass may be willing to make a deal to get Campbell back.
A new draft of the Scream VII script is currently being penned by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. They wrote the previous two Scream films for Spyglass. It’s been stated that “some set pieces and twists may be preserved, but the movie will need to find new protagonists.” This is where Neve Campbell comes in. Additionally, Spyglass may reintroduce another franchise favorite to the mix.
“Another possibility could be Patrick Dempsey,” the publication notes, “who had a scene-stealing turn in 2000’s ‘Scream 3.'” However, they note that “none of these actors have been in active negotiations thus far.”
The publication also noted that Courteney Cox could come back, which makes sense given her survival in Scream VI. As such, Spyglass seems rather adamant about returning to the cast members from the original series now that Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega are gone. It’s unknown if other newcomers like Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding are out of the mix as well, so hopefully more details come to light soon.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the production of Scream VII and the rest of the film franchise as we have them. It’s definitely going to be a difficult time for fans of the franchise, and it isn’t going to be any easier for the production team.