‘Scream 7’ eyes Courteney Cox return alongside Neve Campbell

After securing Neve Campbell‘s return as Sidney Prescott, the Scream 7 team is looking to add another veteran to the cast.

Courteney Cox is currently in talks to make her next comeback as ace reporter Gale Weathers in the seventh installment, sources confirm to Entertainment Weekly. Variety earlier reported the news.

EW has reached out to reps for Cox and Spyglass Media Group for comment.

The Friends alum continues to be a mainstay of the franchise with Campbell. She was last seen in 2023’s Scream VI, which took place in New York City. Though Cox and Campbell last shared the Scream screen together in 2022’s entry.

Campbell announced her return for Scream 7 earlier in March, marking a major overhaul in the plans for the franchise. The actress sat out Scream VI due to a pay dispute, but the producers and studio seemed motivated to have her back in light of the departures of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, the de facto headliners of this new Scream movie era.

Production company Spyglass Media Group dropped Barrera from her leading role as Samantha Carpenter for expressing her support for the Palestinian cause and criticizing Israeli actions in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Ortega dropped out from her role as Samantha’s sister Tara due to scheduling conflicts. Christopher Landon, who was set to direct Scream 7, also departed the role after news broke of Barrera’s firing.

Now Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter of Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 4, will be directing Scream 7, which will be written by Guy Busick.

“Hi All. I’m so excited to announce this news!!! Sidney Prescott is coming back!!!!” Campbell wrote in a statement published to Instagram in mid March. “It’s always been such a blast and an honor to get to play Sidney in the Scream movies. My appreciation for these films and for what they have meant to me, has never waned.”

“I’m very happy and proud to say I’ve been asked, in the most respectful way, to bring Sidney back to the screen and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!” she continued. “Well actually I could. While I’ve been so incredibly lucky to make these films with both the master of horror Wes Craven and the wonderfully talented [Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin] team, I’ve dreamt for many years of how amazing it would be to make one of these movies with Kevin Williamson at the helm. And now it’s happening, Kevin Williamson is going to direct Scream 7! This was his baby and it’s his brilliant mind that dreamt up this world. Kevin is not just an inspiration as an artist but has been a dear friend for many years. To the amazing Scream fans, I hope you are as excited as I am. See you on set.”

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• Sidney’s back! Scream 7 to star Neve Campbell and be directed by Kevin Williamson
  
  
• Scream VII director exits movie: ‘It was a dream job that turned into a nightmare’
• Melissa Barrera says Scream VII firing was ‘shocking,’ calls Jenna Ortega a ‘good egg’