The final member of the core four has spoken, and he’s pretty sure that Scream 7 may not be dead after all. Speaking with Variety at Vanity Fair and Instagram’s pre-Oscars Vanities party, Mason Gooding, who appeared as Chad Meeks in the franchise’s fifth and sixth installments, shared his thoughts on the seemingly doomed seventh movie. “If it could make money, I guarantee you, they’ll make it,” Gooding said, alluding to the impressive box office hauls of the last two films. Clearly, the actor has a good understanding of Scream’s enthusiastically dedicated fandom as he added, “It’s all about keeping up with what feels like is the best movie for the fans. Scream doesn’t exist without the people who enjoy it as much as they… If people want it, they will certainly try their best to see it happen.”
Scream 7 has been in big trouble since last fall when Spyglass Media Group (the production company behind the project) cut ties with one of its leading ladies, Melissa Barrera, after the actress shared a pro-Palestinian stance on her social media. From this point, things continued to spiral as Barrera’s co-star and on-screen sister, Jenna Ortega, backed out of filming due to scheduling conflicts with her hit Netflix series, Wednesday. The final nail in the coffin (at least for now) was the departure of director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day), who was picking up the baton previously carried by Scream (2022) and Scream VI helmers, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin.
Does Mason Gooding Know Something We Don’t?
The short answer here is that no, Gooding is just as much in the dark about the future of the franchise as we are. Like his co-star Jasmin Savoy Brown, Gooding says he hasn’t received any updates surrounding the production but that he’s remaining hopeful. “It’s one of those things where you wait to hear from the people that make the big decisions,” he said. Since losing its two key players, the creative team has undoubtedly been spiraling, considering any options that would allow them to push forward with another movie, perhaps even considering raising the check of stars like Neve Campbell and Patrick Dempsey.
Regardless of what happens from here, Gooding says that he’s grateful for his time participating in one of the most beloved horror franchises in history. Echoing comments previously made by Brown, Gooding said, “The fact that we got to stay a family beyond the work is the most important thing to me. It never felt like we lost that.”
Gooding will next be seen in Kyle Mooney’s comedy flick, Y2K, which will soon celebrate its premiere at SXSW. Stream the latest installment now on Paramount+.
via Collider