Scream 7 Trailer Raises Major Question About How the Franchise is Handling Two Pivotal Legacy Characters

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Following the death of director Wes Craven, the Scream movies hadn’t been in theaters for a long time, leaving fans unsure if Ghostface would ever appear on the big screen again. That changed in 2022 with the release of SCREAM, which successfully brought the popular slasher series back to life for a new audience. The film, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick, was both a critical and financial hit, cleverly mixing familiar elements with fresh ideas. It featured the return of original survivors Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), alongside a new group of characters. This new generation – eventually known as the “Core Four” – included sisters Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), and twins Mindy Meeks-Martin (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding).

I’ve been a huge fan of the Scream franchise for years, and it was so exciting to see it really come back strong with Scream VI in 2023 – it did even better than expected! It was a shame to hear about the issues with Neve Campbell not returning, but the new cast really stepped up and proved the series could continue without her. Of course, they immediately started working on Scream 7, but it’s been a bumpy ride. There’s been so much trouble behind the scenes, they’ve had to completely change the creative direction and even put the new actors they were building up on the sidelines. Now, the first trailer for Scream 7 is making me worry that even more of the characters we’ve gotten to know in this new generation might be killed off unexpectedly.

Scream 7 Is Writing Off Two “Core Four” Members

Production of Scream 7 fell apart in late 2023. It started when Anthony Barrera, who played the lead character Sam Carpenter, was fired because of posts he made on social media that the studio considered problematic. Then, Jenna Ortega, popular for her role as Tara Carpenter, announced she wouldn’t return, initially citing a busy schedule with the Netflix show Wednesday. However, Ortega later clarified that she made this decision after Barrera was let go. The situation ended with director Christopher Landon also leaving the project, saying the film he’d agreed to direct had become a disaster.

After significant creative issues, the studio decided to go back to what worked before. They brought back Kevin Williamson, the original writer of Scream, to direct and convinced Neve Campbell to return. This major change means Scream 7 now faces the difficult challenge of explaining why two of its most recent stars are no longer involved. The previous films heavily relied on the chemistry between the Carpenter sisters, and their sudden exit creates a significant story gap. Early marketing suggests the film might also reduce the roles of the remaining original characters from the newer films.

Will Mindy and Chad Die in Scream 7?

The first trailer for Scream 7 makes it clear the movie will center on Sidney Prescott’s return. The film focuses on a new Ghostface targeting Sidney and her family, including her daughter Tatum, leading to a very personal and dangerous confrontation. This brings the focus back to the original heroine, but it also leaves fans wondering what part the surviving Meeks-Martin twins, Mindy and Chad, will play in the story.

Mindy and Chad are featured very little in the trailer, appearing only briefly in dangerous situations with Ghostface. This suggests they won’t be central characters in the new film, and may only appear for short cameos to resolve storylines from earlier movies. The trailer shows them only when they’re facing the killer, leading to speculation that they might be killed off early on. This could be a way to establish the new Ghostface as a serious threat and allow the story to focus entirely on Sidney.

That would be a huge error, essentially throwing away the strong group dynamic – the ‘Core Four’ – that made the recent films work so well. While removing Mindy and Chad might seem like a simple way to explain why Tara and Sam aren’t around, it would be a waste of the time and effort audiences have spent connecting with these new characters. It would set the franchise back to where it was before the revival, erasing the progress made in the last two movies. Hopefully, future trailers will prove these initial impressions wrong.

Scream 7 is scheduled to be released in theaters on February 27, 2026. 

Would you be upset if Scream 7 eliminated the last of the original four characters? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2025-11-01 19:43