When Neve Campbell finally signed on for Scream 7 after a greedy dispute over money (that greed falling on the studio, not Campbell), it immediately gave us hope for the movie. While the franchise has tried to move on without her or has moved her to a supporting legacy character, it is difficult to imagine it succeeding without Sidney Prescott. But with Sidney comes her husband, Mark Kincaid, played by Patrick Dempsey in Scream 3…right? As it turns out, we may see the detective — last seen settling in for a movie with Sidney, Gale and Dewey — yet again.
Appearing on Today, Patrick Dempsey confirmed that some discussions have taken place for him to reprise Kincaid for the upcoming Scream 7, saying he’s at the point where he’s just waiting for the screenplay to be delivered. He added, “There has been a conversation about it. I haven’t seen anything yet. So, we’ll see what happens.”
Obviously this is far from a confirmation that Patrick Dempsey will appear in the next Scream movie, but given his continued connection with Neve Campbell’s character – he was briefly mentioned in 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI, with it being revealed that he and Sidney married and had kids sometime in between – then it seems like a given at this point. The character could get away with a passing mention before, but with the stakes upped, it would seem like a given that the filmmakers would have to bring him back not just for the story but also for the fanbase.
Talks, too, have emerged about Courtney Cox returning as Gale Weathers, which of course would add to the legacy feel of the film. One curious potential return would be that of Stu Macher, one of the killers from the original Scream, with Matthew Lillard saying there’s no way to confirm that his character died. I don’t necessarily see that working out in a logical way (despite horror movie logic), but bringing back others from the original trilogy would be a nice touch, as seen with Billy Loomis’s surprise return in 2022’s Scream. As for Kincaid, I’m sure most fans would welcome him back after being absent for at least 25 years.
Do you think Patrick Dempsey should return as Mark Kincaid in Scream 7? Slice and dice up your response below.