Scream 6 (2023) will hit theaters next March, but fans are already wondering if there will be a seventh follow-up in the hugely popular "meta slasher" series. So, will there be a Scream 7? Let's take a look at what we know...
Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for Scream (2022)!
The Scream franchise has been incredibly popular since its inception in the mid-90s with Scream (1996). Since then, we've had four sequels in the series, with a fifth now underway. But will there be a sixth sequel?
Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), Scream 4 (2011), and more recently, Scream (2022), were all box office hits, so it's reasonable to assume that Scream 6 will be a financial success too. However, there is one slight problem...
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Related: Scream 6 Release Date, Studio, Where to Watch, Trailer and Everything You Need to Know!
Recently, it was confirmed that Sidney Prescott herself would not be returning in next year's film. In a shock twist, Neve Campbell revealed that she won't be returning for Scream 6 due to a salary dispute. She said:
"Sadly I won't be making the next Scream film. As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
“It’s been a very difficult decision to move on," she continues. "To all my Scream fans, I love you. You’ve always been so incredibly supportive to me. I’m forever grateful to you and to what this franchise has given me over the past 25 years."
Related: Who will be in Scream 6?
So what does this mean for Scream 6? Had Sidney already been written into the script? If so, can she easily be omitted? Will the filmmakers unceremoniously kill her off "between movies"? Or will they simply avoid mentioning her?
As per Wikipedia, here's the synopsis for Scream 6:
The film continues with the survivors of the latest Ghostface killings as they leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.
Related: What will Scream 6 be about?
Well, we know that Scream 6 will take place in New York City, which makes for a refreshing change, seeing as we've now spent three movies in Woodsboro (Scream 2 is set in Windsor College while Scream 3 takes place in Hollywood).
Does relocating Scream to the Big Apple suggest that the filmmakers are starting anew? Well, with Campbell now out of the picture (literally), it might be a great opportunity to take the series in a new direction.
Related: Is Kirby from Scream 4 alive?
As such, it's entirely possible that we'll get a Scream 7, perhaps even the year after Scream 6, seeing as that film will have arrived just over a year after Scream (2022). The real question is, where can the filmmakers go from here?
What other territory is left to explore? Scream dissects the tired traditions and tropes of the common slasher; Scream 2 cast a lens over sequels; Scream 3 trilogies; Scream 4 remakes; and Scream (2022) legacy sequels.
Related: Neve Campbell Quits Scream 6
But what else is there? Prequels? How would that work? Well, we'll leave that up to the filmmakers. Soft reboots? Who knows. It begs to question what Scream 6 will comment on, let alone a seventh film.
Nevertheless, if the figures speak - and they probably will, despite how angry some fans seem about Campbell's exit from the project - then we will more than likely see a Scream 7 in 2024.
Related: Is Kirby coming back for Scream 6?
Other than the film's location and cast, very little is known about Scream 6 that would help us try to work out what to expect from another sequel.
What we do know is that, according to Jenna Ortega, Scream 6's Ghostface will be more "aggressive and violent" than any other we've seen.
Looks like we already know what our "favorite scary movie" will be in 2023 then.
Scream 6 stars Jenna Ortega (Tara Carpenter), Melissa Barrera (Sam Carpenter), Mason Gooding (Chad Meeks), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Mindy Meeks), Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers), and Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed), and newcomers Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Laina Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Josh Segarra, and Henry Czerny in undisclosed roles.
The film is being helmed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, directors of Scream (2022). It will be released in theaters on March 31, 2021.