SCREAM 7 Director Kevin Williamson Opens Up About Returning After Losing Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera — GeekTyrant
Now, Scream creator Kevin Williamson is finally breaking his silence about how the sequel came together after the franchise lost two of its leading stars, and how one unexpected phone call changed everything.
For anyone who hasn't followed the behind-the-scenes chaos, in late 2023, Melissa Barrera was removed from Scream 7 following social media posts that the production company deemed antisemitic.
Shortly after, Jenna Ortega exited as well. 'It was all kind of falling apart,' Ortega reportedly said of the situation. With director Christopher Landon stepping away after receiving threats, despite having nothing to do with Barrera's firing. Scream 7 was left with no cast, no director, and no direction.
Enter Neve Campbell.
In an interview with ScreenRant, Williamson recalled how bleak things were in the wake of the cast exits:
'Neve did. You are right. It was sort of, 'Well, what's going to happen?' After we lost Melissa and Jenna, and it just looked like we weren't going to see the Carpenter sisters in a third movie, it was kind of a bummer. It's like, 'What do we do next?''
Williamson, who famously wrote the original Scream in 1996, wasn't initially on board to direct the seventh film. But, that changed when the creative team pitched a interesting new direction, one that brought the story back to its roots and centered once again on Sidney Prescott.
'And then this idea to bring Sidney Prescott back — and not just bring her back, but to focus on her character, tell her story of who she is today — that got really exciting for me. And I think other people got really excited about it.'
Writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, who successfully rebooted the franchise with 2022's Scream and its 2023 follow-up, started shaping a new mystery. Once Campbell heard their pitch and read the script, she was in. But they weren't done just yet.
'And then they started writing a script. Jamie came up with this great story — Jamie Vanderbilt and Guy Busick — and they started to write this script, and it just sort of took on a life of its own.
'And then Neve read it and heard the pitch, and she signed on. And I was still just the executive producer who was just sort of there, watching from the sidelines… And then Neve called me one day and said, 'I think you should direct this.' And I went, 'No, no, no, no, no… okay, I'll do it.''
So far, the plot details are tightly under wraps, but Busick has teased that Campbell's return is for a 'really cool reason.' And the rest of the cast? It's a blend of returning fan favorites and intriguing new faces. Courteney Cox is back, along with Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and David Arquette's Dewey. Also returning are Matthew Lillard's Stu and Scream 3 's Roman Bridger, played by Scott Foley. New additions include Anna Camp, McKenna Grace, and Joel McHale.
Scream 7 is set to hit theaters on February 27, 2026.
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