Will there be a 'Scream 8'? 'Scream 7' survivor teases what's next

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY Mon, March 2, 2026 at 5:10 PM UTC

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Spoiler alert! We're discussing details about the ending of "Scream 7" (in theaters now), so turn away if you haven't seen the film and don't want to know what happens.

Unlike her namesake, Tatum Evans has lived to be in the sequel.

Sidney Prescott's daughter, played by Isabel May, is among the survivors of the latest bloody Ghostface massacre in "Scream 7," suggesting she'll likely continue on as one of the horror franchise's new lead characters.

While a recent trailer for "Scream 7" teased "one last scream" and implied the film would end the series, there has been no indication the movie was planned as a finale. On the contrary, there has already been chatter of a "Scream 8." Director Kevin Williamson told Deadline that he and Neve Campbell, who returned as Sidney in "Scream 7," talked about a sequel on the set, noting the star pitched a "great idea" for what "Scream 8" could be about, and "everyone seemed to run with it."

Speaking with USA TODAY, May expressed interest in reprising her role and noted she's in the loop about that "Scream 8" idea. In fact, she has even contributed to it.

"I know a little bit," May says. "Not too much. I may have participated in influencing it a little bit, with one little thing − very minor, nothing important necessarily. So I'm an itty-bitty, little pinky toe involved. Other than that, I'm sure that there's something that I'm unaware of. That's very likely the case."

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Ghostface stalks again in "Scream 7."

But May adds it would "be fun to further explore Tatum and see her post-Ghostface" in "Scream 8."

"Her mother is someone who's put on a pedestal for being a brave, fearless person, and [Tatum] doesn't think she's that," May explains. "As the story evolves, and she tries to take some sort of power into her own hands and be useful, she discovers that she is capable and has a resolve that she clearly didn't have at the beginning, and armor."

But Tatum will have to grapple with more loss than even Sidney did coming out of the original film. At least Sidney had Dewey, Randy and Gale by her side at the end of "Scream," but in "Scream 7," just about every one of Tatum's friends wind up dead.

'Scream 7' rules the box office: The latest franchise film has a record opening weekend

Isabel May inherits the trauma in "Scream 7."

"You have to grieve and mourn and miss the people that you loved forever, and now question everyone in your life forever, too," May says. "It's a generational curse that's just been handed down to her."

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Going into a possible sequel, the "1883" star adds, the question for Tatum is, "Is she still going to try to fight the pessimism? Or is she going to be swept away by the negativity and totally cut herself out of society and friendships? There's so much to explore."

Who will return in 'Scream 8'?

We all know Sidney always survives, so she naturally makes it through "Scream 7," and the film's meta narrative suggests she'll be an essential element in future sequels. It's safe to say we can count her in for "Scream 8."

Other survivors left on the board include Mason Gooding's Chad Meeks-Martin and his twin sister Mindy Meeks-Martin, played by Jasmin Savoy Brown. In "Scream 8," both could grow closer with Tatum over their shared trauma as Ghostface survivors.

A mid-credits scene where Mindy gets her first taste of on-camera reporting also suggests the series may be transitioning Mindy into more of a Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) type of journalist role, which would justify her presence at future Ghostface attacks. Plus, as the resident film expert, Mindy will remain necessary going forward for the series to maintain its meta spirit, at least unless Hayden Panettiere's horror nerd Kirby Reed returns to fill that role.

Mason Gooding, left, and Jasmin Savoy Brown return in "Scream 7."

Gale also survives for the seventh consecutive time, and after appearing in each "Scream" film to date, Cox's return for "Scream 8" is all but assured. Given that the fifth "Scream" was heavy on Dewey (David Arquette) and "Scream 7" was all about Sidney, could a more Gale-oriented sequel be in the cards?

But the biggest question coming out of "Scream 7" pertains to the future of Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega). There is notably no mention of their whereabouts in "Scream 7," even though it's hard to imagine Chad and Mindy wouldn't hop on the phone with them to discuss Ghostface's return after how inseparable the "core four" was in "Scream VI."

1 / 0See Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell, David Arquette at 'Scream 7' premiere

The "Scream 7" cast showed out for the global premiere at Paramount Pictures Studios on Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. See the stars on the black carpet, beginning here, from left, with Joel McHale, Skeet Ulrich, Celeste O'Connor, Ethan Embry, Jimmy Tatro, Mckenna Grace, Scott Foley, Anna Camp, Matthew Lillard, Sam Rechner, Timothy Simons, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Isabel May, Victor Turpin, Neve Campbell, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding.

This suggests that for now, "Scream" is looking to distance itself from Barrera and Ortega's characters amid the off-screen controversies surrounding their exits: Barrera was fired from "Scream 7" over her social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war, and Ortega walked away partly because of this. One would think a bridge has been burned and the Carpenter sisters' return is off the table.

But it's also notable "Scream 7" makes no commitments about the sisters' fate and avoids a permanent solution like having them die off screen, leaving all options open for the future. Besides, Campbell's return once seemed unlikely after she quit "Scream VI" over a pay dispute that she suggested was rooted in sexism, so anything's possible.

Is 'Scream 7' the start of a new trilogy?

While it may be hasty to already talk of "Scream 9," Williamson has floated the idea that "Scream 7" could be the first chapter in a trilogy.

When he wrote 2011's "Scream 4," Williamson planned for it to launch a trilogy about Emma Roberts' Jill, which never happened. But now that "Scream 7" is a hit, might Williamson get the new trio of movies he hoped for 15 years ago?

"Whether or not this is a trilogy or not remains to be seen," Williamson recently told Pedestrian, adding, "I hope so. If people turn out for this one, then we can talk about a trilogy."

Just be warned, "Scream 9" cast: As Randy Meeks taught us, at the end of a trilogy, no one is safe.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will there be a 'Scream 8'? Star talks possible sequel after '7'

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