Despite any roadblocks Scream 7 faced in the wake of Melissa Barrera's firing, Paramount and Spyglass could be looking ahead to making an eighth movie before the latest one releases.
Variety published a story on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, the same day as the premiere of Scream 7. It discussed the long road the movie had to the big screen, and what the future may hold for the franchise. The last paragraph was the most important part of the story.
“And this likely won't be Ghostface's final reign of terror,” Variety's report read. “Insiders suggest plans are already in place for the killer's lethal return in an eighth film. Tell the survivors to hide their families.”
Will Scream 8 happen?
All signs point to Scream 8 being a possibility if the seventh movie does well at the box office. Shawn Robbins, the director of movie analytics at Fandango, said that despite initial disappointment over who wasn't coming back (Barrera, Jenna Ortega), the “pendulum is swinging.”
“This is driving a lot of interest about how certain characters are coming back,” Robbins noted, indicating that audiences may be down for another installment.
Still, it's all up in the air. Variety notes that the budget for Scream 7 was $45 million, which is $10 million more than the last installment, which made $166 worldwide, the highest haul since the original movie.
Some of the reasons for this include “set construction” and “travel expenses,” not to mention Neve Campbell's salary to return as Sidney Prescott, which is worth “nearly $7 million.” Courtney Cox, who has been in every Scream movie, had a salary of $2 million as well.
The production of Scream 7 wasn't always smooth sailing. There was some controversy surrounding the firing of Barrera over social media posts about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Shortly after, her co-star and on-screen sister, Jenna Ortega, also left Scream 7, citing scheduling conflicts as the reason for the decision.
Paramount and Spyglass moved forward, bringing Campbell back after she sat out of the sixth movie due to a contract dispute. Campbell leads the cast, which also includes Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Joel McHale, Celeste O'Connor, and Mckenna Grace.
