“Scream 7” with Neve Campbell carves out release date: 'It's gonna be a killer 2026'

Here's who's confirmed for the cast since the departure of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega.

Scream 7 is ready to slash its way to theaters, but it won't be for some time.

The buzzed-about horror sequel, featuring the return of Neve Campbell as iconic "Scream Queen" Sidney Prescott, gets a release date for Feb. 27, 2026. Paramount Pictures confirmed the news on Tuesday, with Campbell and returning franchise filmmaker Kevin Williamson both commemorating the update.

"It's gonna be a killer 2026," Campbell wrote in a cheeky Instagram post.

Related: Neve Campbell 'grateful' to return for Scream 7: 'I was sad to miss the last one'

Scream 7 is finally getting under way as the first sequel since the unceremonious departure of franchise headliners Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. Barrera was fired by production company Spyglass Media Group over her views on the Palestinian cause and criticizing Israeli actions in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, while Ortega's camp cited scheduling conflicts for her departure.

Courteney Cox is in talks to reprise her role of sensationalist ace reporter Gale Weathers. However, she confirmed in an interview with Variety that a deal hasn't officially been worked out for her return. “I’m not officially signed on,” she said. “I’m not, but there will be a Scream 7.” The actress and Friends vet also noted that the team is "rewriting all the time," and that "it’s not like I don’t know what’s going on.”

Guy Busick, a writer on 2022's soft reboot Scream and its sequel Scream VI, is writing Scream 7. Williamson, who helped launch the franchise by writing the original Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 4, is directing. Radio Silence, the filmmaking team behind the Barrera- and Ortega-led installments, are involved as executive producers. But, as they previously told Entertainment Weekly, it's just a vanity credit and they aren't actively involved in shaping the film.

Related: Courteney Cox in talks to join fellow Scream vet Neve Campbell in seventh movie

"We have a ton of love and respect for the team," Radio Silence director Tyler Gillett explained. "They gave us that title as, I think, a thank you for being such an instrumental part in bringing that franchise back to audiences, but that is as far as our engagement goes."

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Plot details on Scream 7 are still under wraps, but it's said to focus on Campbell's Sidney. Rumors also abound that the production will bring back Patrick Dempsey as Det. Mark Kincaid, who became Sidney's husband since the events of Scream 3. However, the studio has not commented on those rumors and no official announcement has been made.

"Those movies have been such a big part of my life and it means so much to me, and I was sad to miss the last one, to not be a part of it," the actress told PEOPLE. "I was really grateful that they came back to me in a respectful way. I think that means a lot to women and to society. I'm grateful to be able to step in into Sidney's shoes again and tell her story."

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.