The Scream franchise saw a resurgence in popularity with 2022's Scream, after being absent from theaters for 11 years. After recent events, the franchise is even more abuzz with recent cast changes that have thrown its future into a world of uncertainty. Two of the franchise's stars have left the production, despite being expected to play vital roles in Scream VII. The studio is fighting to bring the original star of the franchise back into the fold, but there's always the nuclear option if Campbell declines.

Rebooting a series of films should never be taken lightly. Many feel that it demonstrates a lack of originality, especially in a day and age when it feels like Hollywood is rebooting, remaking, and repackaging every popular project under the sun. But when two of the leading stars are no longer available, and recasting isn't an option, a reboot might be necessary. There are many benefits to rebooting the entire Scream franchise, as well.

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What Happened With Scream’s Stars?

Spyglass, the studio that produces the Scream movies, interrupted the 2023 Thanksgiving weekend with the announcement that Melissa Barrera would not be returning for the next Scream installment. Barrera used her social media platform to post support for Palestine, but the executives at the studio felt that her posts were antisemitic and fired the actress. Shortly after Barrera's firing, Jenna Ortega announced that she would not be returning to the Scream franchise. While the studio claims the two announcements are unrelated, the timing seems suspicious.

Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega starred in Scream and Scream VI as Sam and Tara Carpenter, half-sisters who survived the Woodsboror legacy murders. Sam is an especially important character to the franchise, as she's the illegitimate daughter of Billy Loomis, one of the murderers from the 1996 Scream. The two are considerably important to the continuation of the story, and without them, the seventh installment in the series of movies has to go down a completely different route.

There are whispers that Neve Campbell might return as Sidney, the original survivor from the first film. However, there's still a lot of uncertainty with that, and it would be anti-climactic without the Carpenter sisters. There is another way for the franchise to continue.

A Scream Reboot Isn’t a Terrible Idea

There's some precedence for Scream to undergo the reboot treatment. Plenty of franchises, including horror ones like Halloween, have done this with some amount of success. Scream benefits from having every movie related to the last, as each installment in the franchise has characters related to the original trilogy in one way or another. This contrasts other horror franchises, which often have little to do with the previous installment other than the same killer reemerging.

A rebooted Scream series would be in a position to modernize the original story, streamline it, and set up future installments. Scream already plays the "whodunnit" game — one of the reasons it's a unique slasher franchise — but a reboot would allow the studio to take it to the next level. A new trilogy with a thorough plan for its beginning, middle, and end could introduce all the characters in its first movie, including the killers and future killers. It's also a chance for a killer or two to return.

There's so much Scream material, from the six feature films to the television series, that could easily be adapted and compressed into a new trilogy. Despite fans panning Scream 3, a new trilogy or two could pull material from there. Sidney Prescott having a long-lost brother isn't a terrible idea, but it came out of left field in a franchise that was known for its quality storytelling.

The Potential Return of a Fan-Favorite Character

Speaking of returning killers, the biggest fan theory floating around the internet hypothesizes that Stu Macher (Matthew Lillard), one of the original killers from the first movie, is still alive and kicking. In fact, Scream 3 originally had Stu Macher returning as the killer. Unfortunately, the studio scrapped the story and pivoted, because it featured Stu organizing a group of high school students as killers from prison. High school killings were very controversial at the time, due to the tragic Columbine High School shooting.

Not only would Matthew Lillard be able to return in a rebooted Scream, but the new series of films could follow through with the original intentions of having Stu Macher's character returning in the third film, bringing the trilogy full circle. Lillard probably wouldn't be able to reprise his role as Stu due to his age, unfortunately, which might ruin some of the fan excitement. However, that doesn't mean he wouldn't have a significant role. The original cast could cameo as different characters from teachers to parents to police officers.

It's unknown how well any Scream movie will do after Barerra's firing. The internet is split between not watching any Scream movie without her or Ortega, and wanting Scream VII to pivot, crafting a story without them and bringing Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott back. Spyglass has confirmed that Scream VII is still in development, so for now, fans will have to wait and see what happens.

Scream

Created by

Wes Craven , Kevin Williamson

Cast

Neve Campbell , Courteney Cox , David Arquette , Melissa Barrera , Jenna Ortega , Jasmin Savoy Brown , Mason Gooding

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