Scream 7 is going through a full creative reboot after the news broke about star Jenna Ortega exiting the franchise reportedly due to scheduling conflict with her Netflix hit Wednesday. The news also came a day after Melissa Barrera was fired from the franchise. Given both the leads are off the project, Variety has revealed that the franchise is in a “creative conundrum,” and is potentially eyeing old franchise favorites to reprise their roles, including Neve Campbell, Patrick Dempsey, and Courtney Cox.

As per the report, scribes James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, who wrote the previous two installments, will “work on a fresh draft to present to filmmakers.” While some set pieces and twists may be preserved from the previous draft, the feature certainly needs to find new protagonists. The actors’ had signed up for two installments and fulfilled those obligations with Scream 5 and Scream 6.

Neve Campbell and Patrick Dempsey are Being Considered for ‘Scream 7’

Now the makers are looking at original stars like Campbell, Dempsey and Cox to fill the void in the upcoming installment. The original Final Girl Campbell last appeared in 2022’s Scream, but famously did not return for 2023’s Scream VI over a compensation dispute. Per the report, the producers are keen to see her back as Sidney Prescott. The actor played the part for each successive installment in the franchise and had a complete arc from initially being the victim to growing into a heroine, personally confronting each killer.

Cox too has been a part of the franchise since the original feature as Gale Weathers and has been the only original star to appear in all Scream movies. Initially introduced as an antagonist, Gale is an ambitious, strong-willed writer, who ultimately joins forces with Sidney Prescott (Campbell) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) to defeat Ghostface. Continuing the story with someone like Cox will certainly provide the feature with loose threads to continue a more cohesive story.

Another person on the makers mind is Dempsey, who had a scene-stealing turn in 2000’s Scream 3. He appeared in the franchise as Detective Mark Kincaid and eventually became Sidney’s husband. He was last mentioned in Scream 6 as being in hiding.

Scream 7 was expected to drop sometime in 2025, though it now faces an uncertain future. Stay tuned to Collider for any future updates.

via Collider