Summary
- Scream 7 has faced challenges with cast changes and creative turmoil post-Scream VI.
- Sarah Michelle Gellar expresses disappointment at not being part of the Scream 7 cast.
- The Scream 7 production is bringing back multiple former cast members, making Gellar's absence a missed opportunity.
Paramount and Spyglass are bringing the band back together for Scream 7, but one member of the franchise family isn't really feeling the love right now. As if Ghostface couldn't use yet another victim.
It's been a bit of a rough go for Scream 7 after the monumental success of 2023's Scream VI. After Scream (2022) and Scream VI co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett left the project to focus on 2024's Abigail, things got even worse for the production when Melissa Barrera was fired due to comments surrounding the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Co-star and budding A-lister Jenna Ortega followed Barrera out the door, and Scream 7 lost its co-directors and two lead actors in a matter of months. A creative overhaul followed, with Scream (1996) screenwriter Kevin Williamson stepping into the director's chair for just the second time in his illustrious three-decade career in Hollywood. A host of familiar faces followed Williamson, including original Scream stars Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, but one particular actor has seemingly been left out in the cold.
Matthew Lillard's Scream 7 Return Makes Him 'Slightly Terrified' & This Potential Storyline Would Ruin His Character's Legacy
Matthew Lillard recently commented on reprising his role of Stu Macher for Scream 7, the upcoming slasher sequel in theaters in February 2026.
Sarah Michelle Gellar was recently interviewed by Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the premiere for her upcoming Lifetime movie, Pretty Hurts, and Scream 7 came up. "I’m not in [Scream 7]. I tried to get in [Scream 7], nobody wanted me,” she explained. "They were bringing everybody back. I kept thinking I would get a call. I didn’t get a call."
"There’s a lot of people that died in all the Scream movies that are back. Skeet, Lillard. I’m just saying, I’m waiting for my call."
If what Gellar said is true, it's a pretty wild oversight on the part of the Scream 7 production team, considering the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot is just now gaining traction. One would imagine that building on that kind of hype is something the Scream franchise could use after all the creative turmoil the sequel has gone through.
If Sarah Michelle Gellar Is Being Honest About Not Being In Scream 7, Then It Is A Huge Missed Opportunity
Scream 7 is bringing back pretty much everyone you can imagine, even if their characters seemingly died in past films. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Scott Foley, David Arquette, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy Brown are all returning to the franchise. In trying to make up for the losses of Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, the production team went back to the drawing board and decided the only way forward was to go backward.
With that in mind, why wouldn't they bring back Sarah Michelle Gellar? If Skeet Ulrich's Billy Loomis and Matthew Lillard's Stu Macher can return after what happened to them at the end of Scream, why not Gellar's Cici Cooper? In fact, why not go all out and bring as many actors as you can? Let's get Jamie Kennedy, Jerry O'Connell, Timothy Olyphant, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liev Schreiber, Jenny McCarthy, Emily Mortimer, Parker Posey, Emma Roberts, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, and all the former Scream stars back for more Ghostface goodness.
In all seriousness, Gellar could be putting on an act here, much like Andrew Garfield famously did with Spider-Man: No Way Home, claiming there was absolutely no way he was going to be in another Spider-Man film when, in fact, he was. Could Gellar actually be in Scream 7? Who knows?
Source: Entertainment Tonight