Scream 7's casting continues to confuse as David Arquette's Dewey Riley confirmed to return

Looks like Scream 7 is either going to be full of flashbacks or ghosts, because the horror sequel just made another casting announcement that has left genre lovers scratching their heads: David Arquette is set to reprise his role as Dewey Riley in the movie.

Given that Dewey, who first appeared in the 1996 original, was fatally stabbed in Scream 5 (by recent Oscar winner Mikey Madison's Ghostface killer Amber, no less), fans are understandably curious as to how he'll return – though he's not the only character geared up to be somehow resurrected.

In recent weeks, it's been confirmed that Matthew Lillard will be back as Stu Macher, one of the ill-fated killers from the first movie, while Scott Foley will be seen as Roman Bridger, Sidney Prescott's half-brother who turned out to be the sole villain of the franchise's meta third installment Scream 3. 

"The trio played characters who died in the franchise and are returning in a surprise way," Deadline reports. "Details regarding how [Arquette] comes back and the film's plot are currently under wraps."

"Next will be Drew Barrymore," someone joked on Twitter after the news broke.

Now, it's not like the Scream franchise hasn't featured dead characters on-screen before. In Scream 5 and Scream 6, Melissa Barrera's Sam Carpenter was plagued with visions of her father Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), who worked with Stu to butcher a bunch of Woodsboro locals and terrorize his girlfriend Sidney (Neve Campbell). That always seemed pretty specific to her character, though, as she wrestled with her inner demons and the fact that her pops was a knife-wielding murderer. 

Sam won't be in the new movie, after Spyglass Barrera for posting about the Israel-Palestine conflict on social media. With her no longer the lead, Campbell will take over as the franchise's final girl again, having been absent from the 2023 chapter. She'll be joined on screen by fellow returning players Courteney Cox, Mason Gooding, and Jasmin Savoy-Brown. 

Newcomers being welcomed into the franchise include McKenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Celeste O'Connor (Madame Web), Sam Rechner (The Fabelmans), Asa Germann (The Boys), Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), Isabel May (1883), TV host Mark Consuelos, Ethan Embry (Grace & Frankie), and Joel McHale (Community) as Sidney's husband, Mark Evans. Scream writer Kevin Williamson is directing.

Scream 7 will release on February 27, 2026. For more, check out our picks of the most exciting upcoming horror movies heading our way.