Fans are eagerly anticipatingScream 7, but it looks like they’ll have to wait a while longer for the movie to hit theaters. Neve Campbell recently revealed that filming on the upcoming sequel has been pushed back to December 2024, after initially being set to go into production in September. However, this doesn’t have to be a bad thing.Scream 7’s delaygives the creative team time to make sure the film is the best it can be,especially after the difficulties surrounding the project up to this point.
Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega’s exits fromScream 7were considered an absolute disaster for the franchise. However, whenNeve Campbell and Kevin WIlliamson signed on,many fans saw it as a step in the right direction. The focus on the legacy of the franchise has been a key selling point for loyal fans when it comes to the next film in the series. Courteney Cox and Patrick Dempsey are rumored to be returning in the upcoming sequel, and the delays to production aren’t likely to harm the prospects ofScream 7.
Directed By
Kevin Williamson
Fans waited 11 long years for another Scream movie after Wes Craven’sScream 4in 2011 appeared to bring an end to the franchise by bombing at the box office. However, the renaissance of the slasher sub-genre a decade later led to the franchise’s revival withScream (2022).It was a huge success, and was followed up byScream 6in 2023.Scream 7received the go-ahead after the sixth entry became the biggest box office success in the franchise sincethe 1996 original.
Scream 7was set to go into production right away, but controversy hit the franchise when Spyglass Media fired Melissa Barrera for supposed pro-Palestine Instagram posts. Not long afterward, Jenna Ortega also left the project due to reported scheduling conflicts.It’s been over a year sinceScream 6was released, and filming onScream 7hasn’t even begun yet.Neve Campbell revealed in arecent interview with IndieWirethat there have been further delays in the production of the sequel:
We were supposed to start in September, but we’re going to start in December now […] And actually, I think it’s a good thing, because we’re going to be able to have the time to get it really right.
At first glance, these delays could be considered a negative forScream 7,with the potential to harm the project before it releases. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth.There is no rush forScream 7to release.Fans have waited a long time for new films before, and they’ll wait again. Campbell alludes to possible changes being needed to make sureScream 7is the best it can be, and that could bode well for the future of the franchise.
IfScream 7is poorly received by critics and bombs at the box office, fans could have to wait many years for another entry in the horror franchise. It could be a repeat of what happened with the failure ofScream 4,afterKevin Williamson’s initial planswere for it to be the first part of a new trilogy. If Guy Busick’sScream 7script isn’t up to scratch, Kevin Williamson could work on it before the sequel heads into production. Most fans would rather wait for a good movie rather than get a rushed, sub-par film.
A Later Release Justifies A Time Jump
There are plenty of rumors going around about the plot forScream 7, ranging from aCult of Ghostface killers, to a significant focus onSidney’s family. However, one of the main topics of discussion has been thepossibility of a time jump of five years inScream 7.This would bring Sidney’s daughters into their teenage years, allowing them to play an active role in the narrative and taking up the mantle from their mother.
However, mostfans don’t want a time jump. With that in mind, the filming delays forScream 7could actually help this rumored aspect of the movie. It is unlikelyScream 7will be released in theaters before summer 2025, since filming will only be getting underway in December 2024. Scream isn’t really a summer franchise, so it’s more likely the upcoming sequel will be released inFall 2025, or possibly early 2026.
IfScream 7is released in the early months of 2026, it would be almost three years since the release ofScream 6, which came out in March 2023. If this is the case,the time jump inScream 7would actually only be two yearsfrom real time. This could make it more bearable for fans of the franchise who aren’t used to time jumps, as all previousScreamsequels take place in the actual time passed in real life.
