David Arquette will reprise his iconic role as Dewey Riley in the upcoming Scream 7, marking his return to the horror franchise after a dramatic exit in Scream (2022). Arquette’s character, Dewey, met a gruesome end in the previous film, stabbed to death by Ghostface, played by Mikey Madison’s Amber Freeman. However, Scream fans will see Arquette’s Dewey resurrected in the new movie, alongside other returning and new characters.
The news of Arquette’s return follows the revelation that Scott Foley and Matthew Lillard, who also played characters killed off in earlier installments, will also return for Scream 7. The film, produced by Spyglass and Paramount Pictures, is set to bring back familiar faces, including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown. New cast members joining the movie include Mckenna Grace, Celeste O’Connor, Joel McHale, Asa Germann, Sam Rechner, Anna Camp, Mark Consuelos, and Ethan Embry.
Courteney Cox, who plays Gale Weathers and was married to Dewey in the previous films, previously expressed hope that Dewey’s character could return. “I understand the reasons they did it, but whoa! Talk about a missed character,” she said, acknowledging how beloved Dewey is among Scream fans. “They have to figure it out,” she added.
Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original Scream film, returns to the franchise as the director for Scream 7, marking his directorial debut in the series. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on February 27, 2026.
Mason Gooding, another returning cast member, teased the intensity of the new movie. In an interview with Variety in February, Gooding promised that the film would be even more intense than its predecessors, with Ghostface more brutal than ever. He hinted at shocking moments involving the human body, noting that Kevin Williamson is “breaking new ground” with his approach to the violence.
In contrast, Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, who starred in the first two films of the Scream reboot, will not appear in the seventh installment. Barrera was reportedly let go from Scream 7 last year following controversial social media posts about Israel. Ortega, on the other hand, was unable to return due to scheduling conflicts with her Netflix show Wednesday.
Patrick Dempsey, who played Detective Mark Kincaid, had expressed interest in returning for Scream 7, but told Variety that it “just didn’t work out.” Dempsey explained that he had hoped to return but was dealing with personal issues, including the challenges from the ongoing fires.
Deadline was the first to report David Arquette’s return to the franchise.
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