Scream 7 is getting closer to arriving on our screens, and each announcement seems to leave us with even more questions than the last – not least because there are a few familiar faces who appear to be back from the dead...
Matthew Lillard and David Arquette are both making surprise returns to the franchise, and they're not the only ones: after being notably absence from Scream 6, Neve Campbell is back as everyone's favorite final girl, Sidney Prescott. The upcoming sequel is shaping up to be quite the reunion, that's for sure.
With filming well undereay in Atlanta, we've pieced together everything we know so far about the new slasher flick, from the Scream 7 release date and confirmed cast to plot theories, first-look footage, and more. So if it's one of your most anticipated upcoming horror movies, read on.
Lock your doors and hide those kitchen knives, because Ghostface is officially coming back to town!
Scream 7 release date
After a series of delays and production roadblocks, Scream 7 release date is now confirmed as February 27, 2026.
It's a relief that we finally know when Scream 7 will be hitting our screens. The upcoming horror movie has been in the works since August 2023. Due to the SAG AFTRA strikes and some casting changes, the sequel has been in limbo for quite some time. In December 2023, Christopher Landon also stepped down as director, so needless to say, we were all worried about Ghostface's fate.
However, it seems like the flick's new director, Kevin Williamson (the writer of the original 1996 Scream), has set things back on track. We're hopeful that Scream 7's release date is now set in stone, and there will be no more delays on the horizon.
Scream 7 is now filming in Atlanta, with some leaked photos from set getting fans excited for Ghostface's return.
Scream 7 plot
We don't have any story details for Scream 7 yet, but thanks to some casting updates and departures we do know that we'll be taking a sharp turn away from the plotlines set up in Scream 5 and Scream 6. With Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega not returning for the sequel, Sam's storyline is seemingly done after she took a page from her father's (Billy Loomis) book and stabbed her enemies.
From how Scream 6 ended (read our Scream 6 ending explained guide for more details on that), it seemed like Scream 7 would have shown us a final girl turned killer and potentially have Sam as the next Ghostface. However, with that out the window, we are betting that Scream 7's story will be going back to the franchise roots and will have us following Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott once again. That's right, Sidney is back, after Campbell didn't appear in the sixth instalment.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Campbell shared that Scream 7 will be centered around her character, and although she hasn't seen the script yet, fans can expect a similar dynamic to the one we've seen in the recent Halloween movies with Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Myers. David Gordon Green's 2018 Halloween showed us Laurie Strode fighting back against the man who traumatized her when she was a teen. Sidney obviously went through something very similar.
However, Ghostface has been a collection of different killers, so we're keen to see how everything ties together. Now that we know that Matthew Lillard has joined the cast, we know we'll finally see Stu Macher again. While Wes Craven explicitly confirmed Stu's fate in the original's director commentary, we never did see his death on-screen, so it seems possible that he's after Sidney once again, now ready to finish the job. Might he have teamed up with Scott Foley's Roman Bridger, Scream 3's Ghostface who'll also be back, to settle some unfinished business?
Stay tuned as more updates come our way!
Scream 7 cast
As mentioned above, there are some big changes when it comes to the Scream 7 cast. Melissa Barrera was fired from the sequel in 2023, before Jenna Ortega also announced her departure. "It had nothing to do with pay or scheduling," Ortega later explained. "The Melissa stuff was happening, and it was all kind of falling apart. If Scream 7 wasn’t going to be with that team of directors and those people I fell in love with, then it didn’t seem like the right move for me in my career at the time." Their characters, sisters Sam and Tara Carpenter, have been the main focus of the Scream plot since Scream 5.
Despite Barrera and Ortega not returning, their co-stars Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy-Brown have confirmed they'll be back for the new movie.
Scream 7 will also see a few exciting returns to the horror saga. Neve Campbell will reprise her role as Sidney Prescott. This is great news for fans since the only Scream movie without Campbell was Scream 6, and she's as iconic as Ghostface at this point, having long been the mascot for kick-ass final girls in the best slasher movies. Courteney Cox is also set to return as Gale Weathers.
In late January 2025, it was confirmed that Matthew Lillard, one of the original Ghostface killers, will also be in Scream 7. Lillard, who played Stu Macher in the first Scream movie, had repeatedly denied his involvement in the upcoming movie, but after months of speculation he finally confirmed his return to the saga. "I will say, I can’t say anything about it, obviously. But I am very excited and slightly terrified to be back because all I can do is really screw up a legacy that we have. I could really suck, and so that’s my fear," he said of his return to the franchise.
Scott Foley, who played Roman Bridger/Ghostface in Scream 3, and David Arquette's Dewey Riley, who was killed by Amber Freeman in Scream 5, will also feature. How, though, remains a mystery.
Aside from the (somewhat surprising) returning cast, newcomers include Isabel May, Celeste O'Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Mark Consuelos, Sam Rechner, Anna Camp, and Joel McHale (as Sidney's husband Mark).
We'll keep you posted as more news heads our way, so keep an eye on this page.
Is there a Scream 7 trailer yet?
No, unfortunately, there isn't a trailer for Scream 7 yet, and we likely won't get one until late 2025. With the 2026 release date now set in stone and post-production still needed, footage just isn't ready yet. With that, we've likely got a little wait ahead of us before we get a sneak peek at Ghostface's return.
If you are after more thrills, check out our list of the best horror movies on Netflix. Or you can read our Scream 6 review to catch up on all the slasher fun.
