Courteney Cox is reportedly in talks to return as Gale Weathers once again for Scream 7.
The news of Cox’s potential involvement in the next installment comes from Variety, which says that the former Friends star is in negotiations for a possible return. That’s far from confirmation, though, so don’t expect to see her in front of the camera for another entry in the meta-slasher series just yet.
If Cox were to secure a role in Scream 7, she would continue her streak of being the only main character to appear in every Scream film. She's also join original star Neve Campbell, who was just confirmed to reprise her role as Sidney Prescott in the seventh movie, though details on her involvement are murky for now.
We do know, however, that Scream 7 will be directed by longtime franchise writer Kevin Williamson, with Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett attached to serve as executive producers.
A Deep Cut
More Scream should please longtime viewers, but the road to the next film has been anything but smooth. In November of last year, fans were shocked to hear that Melissa Barrera, who co-led both Scream 5 and 6 with Jenna Ortega, had been fired from Scream 7 following her pro-Palestine comments on the Israel and Hamas war. Ortega dropped out of the film shortly after.
Barrera spoke about her experiences after the firing just yesterday, saying that she’s moving on to new projects, like next month’s thriller, Abigail, but is still dealing with how things went down. She spoke about her love for the Scream franchise, adding, “none of this makes me happy.”
Bettinelli-Olpin, who is also co-directing Abigail, spoke to her strengths, too, saying, “Melissa is incredibly strong. You see it in her performances. When you’re friends with her, you feel it in just being with her.”
With Campbell heading back to Ghost Face and Cox in talks, Barrera’s future in the franchise is bleak. Still, she hasn’t completely closed the door.
“I’ve learned to never say never, but also a lot of things would have to happen for Sam to come back,” she said. “For now, next page, next chapter, and then we’ll see what the future holds.”
As Scream 7 finds a new path forward, its plot details remain a mystery. In our 9/10 review of last year’s Scream 6, we said, “Scream 6 doesn’t achieve perfection, but by highlighting the newly dubbed Core Four, hitting all the right emotional beats, and dialing the brutality up to eleven, it comes dang close.”
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
