“Scream 7”: Producers want Neve Campbell and Patrick Dempsey after Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera leave, site reports

Negotiations will not be easy

Crisis in the production of Scream VII. With the firing of Melissa Barrera and the departure of Jenna Ortega, the main protagonists of the current phase of the franchise, development of the next sequel to the franchise has entered a real creative crisis. According to Variety, SpyGlass, the studio behind the film, wants Neve Campbell and Patrick Dempsey to return in the lead roles. However, negotiations with the stars promise to be quite difficult.

Due to dramatic changes in the cast, the script for Scream VII was scrapped entirely. Currently, James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, who wrote the scripts for the remaining films in the current trilogy, are working on a new project that will be presented to the producers and director. According to the site, “some twists and key plot points can be retained, but the film needs to find new main characters.”

The report also states that Scream’s Courteney Cox and Scream 3’s Patrick Dempsey are being considered to produce. However, the main name the studio wants to see as the main character is Neve Campbell, who plays the classic Sidney Prescott. The actress was left out of Scream VI due to a salary dispute and was left out of Scream VII for the same reason—the studio simply didn’t want to pay a hefty amount for her appearance. However, with desperation to find a new strong protagonist, the situation changes.

No negotiations were initiated with Cox, Dempsey or Campbell. The situation should only begin to develop when the new script is approved by the studio.

Last Tuesday (21), Barrera was removed from the studio’s plans due to her social media posts in defense of the Palestinian people brutally murdered during the recent invasion of Israel. Following her co-star’s dismissal, Ortega announced that she would not agree to return as Tera Carpenter. The decision may have been made before the actors’ strike, which began in July 2023, but, curiously, it was only made public at this time of crisis.