Scream 7 casts Joel McHale as Sidney Prescott’s husband Mark

The “Scream” series always throws fans a curveball or two with each installment, but it’s safe to say that this new casting report takes things to an even more confusing level. Despite getting a new, modern refresh beginning with 2022’s teaser-titled “Scream” (which was actually the fifth film in the property) and continuing with “Scream VI,” the future of the horror brand has remained somewhat up in the air after that. The double departure of new agents Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega. Of course, that hasn’t stopped Paramount from trying to move forward anyway with these sequels that have proven their ability to make money by doubling down on nostalgia. Sidney Prescott, Neve Campbell’s final girl, is back in Scream 7 And even hiring original architect/writer Kevin Williamson as director as well.

However, the latest development in the saga now raises far more questions than answers for fans.

Delivery time Sydney has revealed that a new face will be joining the cast of the upcoming seventh “Scream” movie: “Community” star Joel McHale, who has been cast as Sydney’s husband Mark. This may seem strange to longtime fans, since a character and potential love interest named Mark Kincaid actually appeared during “Scream 3” in 2000, a cop played memorably by Patrick Dempsey. So, it stands to reason that the decision-makers simply couldn’t get Dempsey back for whatever reason, and simply recast the role with another handsome person…right? no! Apparently, Deadline claims that McHale is portraying A.J various A character named Mark Evans, who ended up catching Sidney’s attention at some point in the past, will finally appear on screen after being mentioned offhandedly (along with the couple’s children) in the previous films.

confused? Yes, us too. Let’s try to understand this news below.

Even for a popular slasher series built on the idea of ​​twist endings and fatal revelations, this is a bit much. With deepest apologies to all the McDreamy fans out thereI’m afraid we have more bad news. Instead of bringing back Patrick Dempsey’s character, Mark Kincaid, who we haven’t actually seen since he narrowly escaped the bloodbath at the end of “Scream 3,” the studio appears to be taking “Scream 7” in a surprisingly different (and much more head-scratching) way. This contradicts previous statements by Dempsey himself (Via Entertainment Weekly), when he indicated as recently as October 2024 that he had had a “conversation” about reprising his role as Mark and was “waiting for the script” for the next film. Instead, it looks like we’re getting an entirely new character played by Joel McHale (who himself is a veteran of the horror genre, having appeared in 2023’s “It’s A Wonderful Knife,” Sam Levinson’s “Assassination Nation,” and more). Who also happens to be named Mark?

What makes this whole situation even weirder is that former directors Matt Bettinelli Olpin and Tyler Gillett, known colloquially as Radio Silence, previously “confirmed” (again, Via Entertainment Weekly) that Sidney was happily married to Dempsey’s on-screen character and had children with him. In some quick dialogue in the fifth film, it is explained that Sidney’s new family has remained in hiding in order to escape the notice of Ghostface’s latest killer. Now, legally, all that’s actually been said is that Sidney is married to someone His name is Mark, and well, I think fans are right to assume that he was the same Mark from “Scream 3.” Obviously this will be the technical loophole that the “Scream 7” creative team will use to get around this, but wouldn’t it have been easier to just say that McHale’s character is Mark Kincaid?

Anyway, McHale joins a cast that includes Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Mason Gooding, and franchise newcomers Celeste O’Connor, Asa German, Mckenna Grace, Sam Rechner, Anna Camp, and Isabel May (who will play Sydney and Mark). Girl). “Scream 7” is currently scheduled to hit theaters on February 27, 2026.