Summary
- Cast departures for Scream 7 include Barrera and Ortega, but returning stars like Campbell and Cox provide continuity.
- New characters like May and McHale join Scream 7, potentially setting up a new generation for the franchise.
- Speculation surrounds Mark’s role in Scream 7, with theories suggesting an unforeseen twist in the killer’s identity.
There’s some new blood flowing into the long-running Scream franchise, and while Kevin Williamson’s upcoming Scream 7 has faced some major cast departures, it’s also bolstering its returning star power with some new faces. Although Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega aren’t due to return as Sam and Tara Carpenter, Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox are confirmed to reprise their long-running roles as Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers. Other returnees include Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown, but they aren’t alone in Scream 7.
2023’s Scream VI was supposed to be the second chapter of a new trilogy following 2022’s Scream ‘requel’, but with the departures of Barrera and Ortega, Scream 7 feels like something of another reboot. It’s expected that a new crop of younger characters could continue the series if it’s successful enough to warrant a mythical Scream 8, with 1883’s Isabel May notably cast as Sidney’s daughter. This isn’t the only family connection thanks to Community’s Joel McHale being cast as Sidney’s husband, Mark.
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Who is Joel McHale Playing in Scream 7?
The high-profile casting of Joel McHale sees him portraying Mark Evans in Scream 7. Like May playing Sidney’s unnamed daughter, Mark is brand-new to the Scream series, although he’s been mentioned before. Back in 2022’s Scream, Dewey (David Arquette) phoned Sidney and asked, “How’s Mark?” This led to rampant speculation that he was referring to Detective Mark Kincaid, who was famously played by Grey’s Anatomy’s Patrick Dempsey all the way back in 2000’s Scream 3.
Williamson wrote the first two Scream movies but didn’t return to pen the third – which was originally pitched as the end of the franchise. Scream 3 gave Sidney a happy ending that saw her conquer her demons, her own half-brother being Ghostface, and then settle down to a quiet life with Mark Kincaid. Scream stayed dead until Wes Craven returned for 2011’s divisive Scream 4, and while that movie returned to Woodsboro with Sidney in tow, there was no sign of Mark Kincaid.
Dempsey was offered a chance to return for Scream 4, but passed due to his commitment to Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The script was originally due to expand on the relationship between Mark and Sidney, but with Dempsey passing on the role, he was written out of the script. Despite the mention of Mark in Scream (2022) being assumed to be a throwaway Easter egg that at least acknowledged that Sidney was still with Detective Kincaid, some awkward retconning now suggests it was Joel McHale’s Mark Evans.
The Scream movies have always had a comedic edge under all the blood and guts, meaning McHale’s casting is typically on-brand. Everyone from Emma Roberts to Jack Quaid, Dermot Mulroney to Samara Weaving have starred in the Scream movies, meaning McHale is in good company. Barrera and Ortega’s departures aren’t Scream 7’s only stumbling block, with the exit of directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin also leading to a February 2026 delay. Filming has only just begun, but fans can expect to learn more about Mark once things get underway.
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Joel McHale Would (and Probably Will Be) An Obvious Ghostface
Alongside which characters are unlucky to be leaving in a body bag, the big question of any Scream movie is the identity of Ghostface. 1996’s Scream broke the mold when it revealed Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis and Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher were both the killers, and aside from Scream 3, every movie has had multiple Ghostfaces since then. Scream VI broke the record with a whopping three killers, although most agree that’s probably the limit. Although it would be shocking, it seems unlikely that any of the returning characters will be exposed as Ghostface, meaning any of the newcomers could be the killer.
Making Mark Ghostface would be pretty left-field, suggesting that he’s been with Sidney this entire time just to eventually off her. The movies have played into the whole secret past connection in Scream 3, while both Scream 2 and Scream VI have featured angry family members taking out vengeance on the lead for killing a previous Ghostface. Even if it wouldn’t make sense for Mark to be Ghostface, it seems like an obvious choice that actually plays into the franchise’s past. After all, Sidney is no stranger to dating a Ghostface.
The whole saga was kicked off by Sidney dating Billy Loomis, with the specter of the unhinged killer even carrying through as the father of Sam Carpenter. Scream 2 nearly repeated the idea of Sidney’s boyfriend being the killer, and in the original script, Jerry O’Connell’s Derek Feldman was going to be one of three Ghostfaces. Unfortunately, the script leaked, meaning Laurie Metcalf’s Nancy Loomis and Timothy Olyphant’s Mickey Altieri were the killers. Olyphant and McHale are good friends in real life and have collaborated on multiple projects, so the whole idea that Mark Evans is Mickey’s brother isn’t too much of a wild theory.
The Scream franchise loves to bring things full circle, and like 2022’s Scream had the twist of Sam’s boyfriend, Ritchie (Jack Quaid), being the killer as a homage to Sidney and Billy in the OG movie, resurrecting this twist for Scream 7 wouldn’t be totally out there. With Sidney expected to once again be thrust into the limelight as the lead, Scream 7 feels like it’s starting again. While it would be easy to put a modern twist on one of the most iconic horror movie reveals of all time, making Mark Ghostface is just too obvious. Despite the continued box office success of the Scream movies, there are complaints that it needs to innovate with its next chapter. There are theories that there might be a recurring Ghostface for the first time ever, meaning if Mark Evans is the killer, McHale could be back for more. Either that or Mark is destined to get a quick sendoff like poor Derek.
