Patrick Dempsey and Scream just “didn’t workout”.
The Grey’s Anatomy star confirmed that he won’t be reprising his role as Detective Mark Kincaid in the upcoming slasher sequel, citing scheduling conflicts.
“It just didn’t work out and we were dealing with the fires and everything that was going on, and the schedule didn’t work out, unfortunately,” Dempsey told Variety in an interview published on March 2, referencing the devastating wildfires that hit Los Angeles earlier this year.
Dempsey first appeared in the franchise as Detective Kincaid in Scream 3 (2000) and was originally set to return for Scream 4 (2011).
However, he had to pass on the project due to scheduling conflicts while filming Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
Back in October, Dempsey hinted that talks were happening about his return, telling the Today show, “I haven’t seen anything yet. So we’ll see what happens.”
While Dempsey won’t be coming back, Scream 7 will still have a Mark in the mix—just not that Mark.
It was confirmed in January that Community star Joel McHale will be joining the cast as Mark Evans, the husband of Sidney Prescott.
Speaking of Sidney, Neve Campbell is officially back!
The franchise’s longtime final girl skipped out on Scream 6 in 2022 over a pay dispute, explaining at the time, “As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream. I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”
While Campbell is locked in for Scream 7, other legacy actors remain question marks.
Courteney Cox, who has been in every Scream movie to date, told Variety in September 2024, “I’m not officially signed on. I’m not, but there will be a Scream 7.”
Meanwhile, David Arquette’s return seems unlikely—his character, Dewey Riley, was killed off in Scream 5.
The upcoming installment is also adding fresh blood to the cast.
Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, Anna Camp, and Mark Consuelos have all been confirmed to join the horror flick. But the biggest surprise? Matthew Lillard is making a return—yes, the very same Lillard who played Stu Macher, one of the original Ghostface killers from the first Scream.
And if Sarah Michelle Gellar has her way, she might be next in line for a Scream comeback.
In February, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress joked on Instagram, “I mean, why not?!? You are bringing everyone else back.”
With all these twists and turns, Scream 7 is shaping up to be a slasher sequel full of surprises—just the way Ghostface likes it.
