Summary
- Fans speculate on Dewey’s role in Scream 7, considering potential ways for him to return.
- Two compelling fan theories suggest Dewey’s voice could torment Gale or he could be in witness protection.
- The article discusses bringing back past characters in Scream 7 while keeping the franchise fresh for fans.
It’s hard not to wonder if Scream 7 has too many characters. The upcoming entry in the popular horror franchise has a lot of new and returning cast members, including David Arquette, who is reprising his role of Sheriff Dewey Riley. Arquette has talked a lot about portraying this goofy and happy-go-lucky character, which made audiences wonder if Dewey would return. Now that his comeback has been confirmed, fans are debating exactly how this could occur.
It’s unlikely that Dewey would shock audiences and show up as the new Ghostface. However, there are a few other ways he could appear in Scream 7. One fan figured out a few possibilities, and they both seem plausible.
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These Two Compelling Fan Theories About Dewey’s Scream 7 Return Are Compelling
A Scream fan shared two ways Dewey Riley could appear in Scream 7 in a Reddit thread. They mentioned several ideas that fans have had, including Dewey appearing via videotape, Dewey’s death being explained away as a dream, Sidney Prescott or Gale Weathers remembering Dewey, or Dewey appearing through a flashback. While these are all possible, and these ideas also apply to other returning characters such as Stu Macher, the fan shared two other interesting ideas about Dewey. The fan presented one idea:
“Scream 3‘s Voice Changer… it could make sense to bring back Roman’s voice device. Have a Ghostface use Dewey’s voice to torment Gale and blame her for his death. May not be an onscreen return but I feel him talking could be enough.”
The fan also wonders about:
“Witness Protection/A legalised faked death- Let’s say Dewey had a weak pulse like Gale in 6 when the Police/FBI/Nurses arrive after Amber’s attack, could they have decided to send Dewey to like a medical hideout somewhere.”
Could these ideas work for Dewey’s Scream 7 comeback? When comparing them, most fans might say that the first idea makes more sense than the second. Audiences have wondered if Ghostface will use technology and audiences will hear the voices of past characters. As this fan pointed out, Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) would definitely be affected by it. Perhaps using Dewey’s voice would be a way to give Gale an important and memorable plotline in Scream 7. If Ghostface wanted to play with Gale’s emotions, this would be an effective way.
As for whether Dewey could be in the Witness Protection Program or hiding somewhere, that seems less plausible, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility. Since Sidney now seems to be living in Pine Grove, Indiana, it would make sense if Dewey was living in a new place under a new name. Perhaps with the return of Ghostface, Dewey would want to come out of hiding, and he would team up with Sidney and Gale. It would be a big surprise to learn Dewey was still alive. While this might seem cheesy, Dewey is such a popular character that many fans would be glad to see him again.
Ghostface may be wearing the same costume as always, but fans hope Scream 7 is a departure from previous movies. The franchise has to keep audiences interested and ready for more movies, which can be a challenge when six films have already been released. There has to be a balance between giving fans the returning legacy characters they want and featuring different storylines. If the new Ghostface used Dewey’s voice, it would be disappointing not to see Arquette onscreen, so hopefully he would come back in another brief scene.
Which Past Scream Characters Have Come Back?
Two Scream characters who died have returned in previous movies. After being killed by Ghostface in Scream 2, which Kevin Williamson says he regretted, Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) returns in Scream 3 through a video message that he recorded for Sidney Prescott. Since Randy is an expert on the horror genre and famously shares the rules that horror movie characters should follow, this works well. Fans were glad to see this beloved, funny, and kind character again and would likely be happy to see him anytime.
Skeet Ulrich was also de-aged and Billy Loomis appears to his daughter Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) in Scream (2022) and Scream 6. While Billy is a well-written Ghostface, along with his sidekick Stu Macher, not everyone enjoyed seeing him in this form, and de-aging might not be the best way to bring back other characters in future Scream movies.
Scream 7
- Release Date
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February 27, 2026
- Director
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Kevin Williamson
- Writers
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Kevin Williamson, Guy Busick, James Vanderbilt
- Producers
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Cathy Konrad, Gary Barber, Marianne Maddalena, Peter Oillataguerre, William Sherak, Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Ron Lynch
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Neve Campbell
Sidney Prescott
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Courteney Cox
Gale Weathers
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Mason Gooding
Chad Meeks-Martin
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Jasmin Savoy Brown
Mindy Meeks-Martin
More
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Scream (2022) was a fresh and exciting addition to the popular slasher franchise, and when Scream 7 comes out, I hope it’s just as creative.