Summary
Scream 7is gearing up to start filming sometime in 2024, with a potential release in 2025, and it’ll be the third movie since the franchise was revived withScream (2022). After the success ofScream 6, another entry was quickly greenlit, but the production on the upcoming sequel hasn’t been straightforward, leading to comparisons with the problems faced leading up toScream 3.
Radio Silence duo, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett passed onScream 7to work onAbigail, while Melissa Barrera was fired from the sequel, for her pro-Palestine Instagram posts, followed by Jenna Ortega leaving the project due to a pay dispute and scheduling conflicts. This led to the director,Christopher Landon, leaving the project as well. Kevin Williamson will now directScream 7, and the original final girl, Neve Campbell, will return as Sidney Prescott, bringing a bit of stability back to the project.IfScream 7wants to avoid the same problems asScream 3, it must avoid the same problems faced with that project.
After the success ofScreamandScream 2, it was inevitable that a third movie would come to fruition, and the original scribe,Kevin Williamson, already had some ideas to complete the slasher trilogy, and he’d written a treatment forScream 3. However, Williamson’s career had taken off, and he was too busy to write the script, so Ehren Kruger was brought in to writeScream 3.
To add toScream 3’s problems,Neve Campbellalso had a busy schedule, which led to a reduced role in the second sequel.Production was further hit due to the tragic Columbine Massacre, leading to forced changes to the original story, which was focused on a cult of Ghostface killers in High School.
Miramax also decidedScream 3needed to adopt a lighter tone due to the Columbine tragedy, and the gore and scares were dialed down in favor of humor.The production was also hindered by constant script changes, which massively affectedScream 3, and the movie ended up feeling very rushed, with a mediocre killer reveal, and plot points that simply didn’t work. Kruger’s writing style also didn’t fit the Scream universe, and Kevin Williamson’s skills were greatly missed.
Similar toScream 3, production onScream 7has been hit by a number of issues before filming has even started. Spyglass were keen to press on with production onScream 7, and weren’t willing to wait for Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillettto finish makingAbigail, in order to be available to return to complete their trilogy. In aninterview with The Hollywood Reporter, they said:
We got exited. We’ll be sad that there’s not going to be an end to the Sam Carpenter story, but in our minds, we designedScream VIso that the story feels complete.
Christopher Landon was then brought on board as the new director ofScream 7, but afterBarrera and Ortega’s exits, he left the upcoming sequel as well.Scream (2022)andScream 6co-writer, Guy Busick was then charged with rewriting the script forScream 7, with the Carpenter sister’s story now being totally scrapped.
In a boost for the sequel,Neve Campbell announced on herInstagram pagein March 2024, that she would be returning to her iconic role of Sidney Prescott inScream 7, and also revealed the exciting news that Kevin Williamson would be directing the upcoming sequel.
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.
What does Scream 7 need to do to avoid the same mistakes Scream 3 made?
What does Scream 7 need to do to avoid the same problems in Scream 3?
Scream 7appears to be back on track, but it still faces an uphill struggle to avoid the problems faced byScream 3.The changes to the script are a big concern, after it had to be rewritten after Barrera and Ortega’s exits, withScream 7originally set to be the completion of the Carpenter sisters arc.
The changes to the script were one of the biggest problemsScream 3faced during production. However, this time around,Scream 7has Kevin Williamson joining the project rather than departing, which wasn’t the case withScream 3. Despite not penning the script for the latest entry, Williamson being on board as director means he will have the final say on the script, and there’s a possibility he could add quality to it. This can only be a positive for the prospects ofScream 7.
Scream 7needs to avoid rushing production on the upcoming sequel, as this severely affectedScream 3, leading to a very tonally uneven movie.Spyglass had been keen to rush production onScream 7,which ultimately led to them losing Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett as directors, which was a major loss. Fans would rather wait a bit longer for the next installment, if it meant the quality of the final product was being compromised.Scream 3is arguably the weakest entry in the series, but if they rush things,Scream 7has the potential to replace it with that unwanted title.
Scream
The Scream movie and TV franchise began with the release of the first film in 1996. Directed by horror master Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, the deconstruction of slasher movies was an instant cultural, critical, and financial hit. Neve Campbell, who plays ongoing final girl Sidney Prescott, has become a horror icon in her own right, along with Ghostface, the only horror villain whose identity is always changing. Nearly three decades later, the Scream franchise shows no signs of slowing down.
