Scream 7 is reportedly heading back to the drawing board and may include Neve Campbell.
According to Variety, the filmmakers are weighing up options following the high-profile exit of Scream 6 leads Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera.
This includes bringing back Neve Campbell as the iconic survivor Sidney Prescott, with producers reportedly keen to see her back in the role.
Over the past few days, Scream fans have watched in horror as Scream 7 collapsed before their eyes. Melissa Barrera was ousted from the Scream sequel by Spyglass Media Group following recent social media posts about the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Shortly after this, Jenna Ortego dropped out of the sequel, too, although it’s reported that her involvement had been up in the air for some time.
Both Ortega and Barrera had only signed a two-picture deal, and that was fulfilled by their starring roles in both Scream 5 and Scream 6. Now, it looks as though the plan is to return to previous leads to carry the franchise forward, and that starts with Neve Campbell.
The iconic Scream star was there from the very beginning, starring in the first film as Sidney Prescott, and returning for every installment except Scream 6. Although Campbell chose not to return due to a salary dispute, it’s now more likely than ever that the studio would be willing to stump up the cash to get her back.
Scream creator Kevin Williamson previously revealed that he wanted Campbell to return. Scream 5 and 6 writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick are now said to be working on a new draft of the upcoming seventh installment. Whether this involves Campbell or not remains to be seen, but Variety also suggests that Patrick Dempsey would be a good candidate for a comeback. However, it’s worth noting that neither Campbell nor Dempsey are in negotiations as yet.
IGN’s Scream 6 review gave it 9/10 and said: “Emotions and brutality are at an all-time high in Scream 6, setting it up to be the best sequel in the franchise yet. Though it does ultimately fumble the reason for Sidney Prescott’s absence, RadioSilence has officially proven that there’s a future for the franchise with or without its original final girl by giving us strong connections to the new Core Four.”
Want to read more about Scream? Check out our rundown of Scream 6’s ending explained as well as where to watch every Scream movie online in 2023.
Image credit: Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
