Patrick Dempsey’s potentialScream 7return has been clarified after a surprise casting announcement. In the slasher franchise’s 2022 legacy sequel, it was revealed that longtime final girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is married to a man named Mark, which seemed to imply that she had married Dempsey’sScream 3character, detective Mark Kincaid. However, it was recently revealed that theupcomingScream 7, which is currently filming under the auspices of director Kevin Williamson, had castCommunitystar Joel McHale in the role of Mark instead, and that the character’s last name is Evans.
Entertainment Weeklyhas followed up on this surprising casting announcement. After reaching out to representatives for both the production company Spyglass and Patrick Dempsey, they learned thatthe actor will not be appearing in the movie whatsoever. Although Dempsey had teased during an appearance onTodayin October 2024 that he had been approached to reprise hisScream 3role, negotiations fell through after that point.
What This Means For Scream 7
Not Every Surviving Legacy Character Will Return
Ultimately, it seems highly likely thatSidney’s husband Markwas meant to be played by Patrick Dempsey before negotiations fell through. The 2022 legacy sequelScreamplanted the seeds for several future legacy characters to return, one of which came to fruition. After including an Easter egg that implied that Hayden Panettiere’sScream 4character Kirby Reed had survived her stab wound, the actor eventually reprised the role in 2023’sScream VI.
Kirby was presumed dead after being stabbed in the stomach by Ghostface, twice, inScream 4.
However, theScreamcastis generally moving in a different direction in the upcoming movie, which will feature neither of the Carpenter sisters, who were played by Melissa Barrera (who was controversially fired after sharing pro-Palestine posts on social media) and Jenna Ortega. Although legacy characters including Sidney, Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), and Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) will be returning,they are surrounded by a new ensemble. Even Kirby has not been confirmed to return, despite surviving the events of the 2023 sequel.
Our Take On The Scream 7 Update
Patrick Dempsey Is Making Up For His Absence
Although Dempsey will not be returning as Mark Kincaid inScream 7, the star has made up for this absence with his recent triumphant return to the horror genre. 23 years afterScream 3,he played a major role in the cast of Eli Roth’s 2023 holiday slasherThanksgivingthat he may reprise in the upcoming 2025 sequel. He directly followed that performance by taking on a main role in theDexter: Original Sincast, fleshing out the world of the serial killer thriller prequel as Miami Metro captain Aaron Spencer, a character who is somewhat similar to Kincaid.
Scream 7
Cast
Scream 7 is the latest entry in the longstanding horror franchise, continuing the legacy with new chilling events.
