Kevin Williamson confirms that filming has finally begun on Scream 7, after a development process full of self-inflicted wounds.
What should have been a relatively straightforward sequel to get up and running has turned into something of saga. But hey, it looks as if Scream 7 has finally gone before the cameras.
When Scream VI landed in early 2023, reviews may have been mixed, but the box office was impressive enough. Spyglass Entertainment thus wanted to get the next film moving quickly, and had all gone to plan, it would have been released right around now.
Instead, deep breath: co-star Melissa Barrera was fired from the film for publishing social media posts in support of Palestine, and the producers didn’t like that. Jenna Ortega then had to drop out, apparently due to a clash with the shooting schedule of Wednesday on Netflix, but also, there’s a suggestion that Spyglass was lowballing her salary.
Director Christopher Landon had been hired, but soon left, explaining that it was “a dream job that turned into a nightmare”.
Read more: Scream VI review | Another Ghostface, more killings
Spyglass thus had to go back to square one, and had to get its chequebook out. Neve Campbell – who dropped out of the franchise when the company reportedly previously wouldn’t meet her salary – was lured back. And then the writer of the first two films, Kevin Williamson, was also hired.
Since then, Courtney Cox has also confirmed she’s returning, as the latest high-profile returnee to the franchise.
And! This very week, a some time after originally intended, and with a film going in a very different direction to the expected plan, Scream 7 is finally up and running.
Going forward, Spyglass will be hoping that the drama stays on the screen rather than behind the scenes. A release for early 2026 is currently planned, assuming nothing else goes wrong…
