Scream 7: Fans Don't Want A Time Jump

Scream 7

By Callum Murray

Published Jun 9, 2024

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Scream 7

Highlights

Scream 7 may feature a five-year time jump after Scream 6, possibly to involve Sidney's teenage children.
Fans express concern over a time jump in Scream 7, emphasizing the franchise's unique cohesive timeline.
Waiting to make Scream 7 when appropriate to age Sidney's children could prevent backlash over the time jump.

The rumor mill is in full flow ahead of Scream 7 heading into production, with shooting set to start sometime this year. The latest rumor suggests there may be a significant time jump after the events of Scream 6.Fans have been debating whether a Scream 7 time jump is a good or a bad idea on social media and online forums, with many thinking it could be the death of the horror franchise.

Neve Campbell has been confirmed to play Sidney Prescott in the upcoming sequel, and she will likely be joined by Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers, and Patrick Dempsey as Mark Kincaid. Scream 7 is also on the lookout for newcomers to join the legacy cast as Ghostface's next targets. Kevin Williamson will direct the upcoming sequel, from a screenplay written by Guy Busick.

Scream 7: Fans Want To See These Sidney Prescott Changes In The Sequel

When Neve Campbell reprises her role of final girl Sidney Prescott in the upcoming horror sequel Scream 7, fans think these changes should be made.

What are the rumors surrounding the Scream 7 time jump?

Every time a new Scream movie is announced, the rumors begin to circulate about what might be in store for Ghostface's next murder spree. Scream 7 is no different in this respect, with leakers and insiders claiming to know details about the plot of the upcoming sequel. One of the major pieces of information that has made its way online recently is the possibility of a time jump in Scream 7.

Every Scream movie thus far has reflected the real passing of time between the releases of the movies, give or take a few months. The rumors suggest Scream 7 could move forward as much as five years after the events of Scream 6, and the alleged reasoning behind this is to have Sidney's children in their teenage years and actively play a part in the story.

In Scream (2022), The first glimpse of Sidney Prescott is while she's going for a run with a stroller, and Dewey calls her up, and she tells him she's trying to fit a run in before taking the girls to school. So, it appears that Sidney has three children, two of which are of elementary school age, if she's taking them there, meaning they can be no older than ten years old. So, a time jump would have to be of at least five years to make at least one of them suitable for a clash with Ghostface.

What have fans said about the potential time jump?

The big news of the potential time jump in Scream 7 was reported by regular Scream content creator, CriticalOverlord @CriticalOverlo3 on X, via a leak from @DanielRPK.

SCREAM VII will reportedly have a big time jump for Sidney's kids to play a role.

It's intended to be the start of a new trilogy.

Fans were quick to react to the news, and the majority of fans appear to be opposed to a time jump in Scream 7. One user known as Israel Joshua Davis @izzyjoshuadavis commented on the post:

A time jump? Another Trilogy? With her kids? I kind of like that Scream is all one big timeline that is in order. It's one of the few franchises doing that.

The Scream series has always set itself apart from other horror franchises, because it doesn't have time jumps or retcons, and this user perfectly sums this up. A time jump could irrevocably destroy the franchise by messing with the timeline, and it could also impact the potential of Scream 7's horror commentary if it's set in the near future.

Judge54 @TabathaTMartin1 backed this up in a further comment on the post:

Jumping is WAAY out of formula, one movie at a time is fine. The entire point of the series is that it stays within the time it releases. It's supposed to be a reflection of horror movies, during the year/decade it's released in. It's why Scream 4/5/6 go over remakes, and requels.

Scream 7 should be commenting on the state of horror movies in 2025, when the movie will likely be released, so a time jump really messes with the whole point of the Scream franchise. Nobody knows what state horror will be in a few years from now, so Scream 7 has the potential to age very badly, unless it gets lucky and predicts the trajectory of the genre.

One user, Scream VII @Kirby_Reed, put the time jump into perspective:

5 years is not as big as we think.

This user has a valid point: five years isn't as bad as it initially sounds, especially when two years in real time would've likely passed after Scream 6 when Scream 7 is released. That leaves only three years to jump forward in time, which doesn't sound so drastic. It's also better that Scream 7 has a time jump rather than retconning the events of previous sequels, like the Halloween franchise did when it was brought back in 2018.

There is a logical way to avoid the fan backlash about the time jump: wait for the appropriate time to pass to make Scream 7 rather than rushing it. If they want Sidney's children to be older, wait a few years. There were 11 years between Scream 3 and Scream 4, and another 11 years between Scream 4 and Scream (2022), and the franchise survived.