'Scream 7' Officially Set To Welcome Back A Fan-Favorite Survivor

A fan-favorite cast member of the iconic "Scream" franchise has just tapped in for "Scream 7!"

News broke on Tuesday of the star officially signing on to answer Ghostface’s call in the latest increment of the long-running horror series. With their involvement comes hope that another familiar face could soon join them.

A two-time survivor of Ghostface is prepped and ready to take on the masked murderer for a third go-round in "Scream 7."

According to reports, actor Mason Gooding will be reprising the role of friendly jock Chad Meeks-Martin, an alum of the “Core Four” first established in the 2022 “Scream” reboot/sequel.

The 28-year-old performer and son of Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. now joins franchise mainstay Neve Campbell, making her return following an absence in 2023’s “Scream VI” over salary disputes, and new cast members Isabel May, Asa Germann, Celeste O’Connor, Mckenna Grace, and Sam Rechner, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Kevin Williamson, scriptwriter of the original 1996 “Scream” movie, will be directing the film with Guy Busick penning the story.

Gooding’s addition to “Scream 7” makes for an interesting turn in the continued narrative due to the remaining “Core Four” and the actors who portray them.

Melissa Barrera, who joined “Scream (2022)" as protagonist Sam Carpenter and reprised the role in “Scream 6,” was famously fired from the franchise following comments she made regarding the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.

Days later, actress Jenna Ortega, who portrayed Sam’s onscreen sister, Tara, revealed that she had quietly requested to be released from “Scream 7” months before the controversy due to scheduling conflicts with Netflix’s hit series, “Wednesday.”

This leaves Jasmin Savoy Brown, who played Mindy Meeks-Martin, Chad’s twin sister and the final piece of the “Core Four.”

As of this writing, no official word has been made regarding Brown’s return.

However, rumors around the internet insist that the actress told fans at Sao Paulo’s recent Comic Con Expo that she would not be appearing in “Scream 7.”

Chad’s presence in “Scream 7” is a (movie) miracle, considering the horrific nature in which he was left in “Scream 6.”

(Spoilers ahead for “Scream 6.”)

In an attempt to lure Ghostface out in the open, Chad is chased down in a movie theater by not one, but two masked figures.

He is subsequently caught by the killers and stabbed over and over again. With his seemingly last breath, Chad tells Tara, slightly ahead of him, to keep running. In the film’s final moments, a battered but alive Tara overhears EMTs telling one another that they found another survivor in the carnage.

The audience then sees Chad being wheeled out on a stretcher, not unlike another Ghostface victim in multiple “Scream” movies, former Woodsboro Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette).

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2023, Gooding admitted that Chad’s stunning survival was fluke-like – because he wasn’t even supposed to survive “Scream (2022).”

"I was kind of bait-and-switched," he explained. "The script that I got the first time around said I died. I don't think you necessarily go into a 'Scream' movie expecting to live every time. It wasn't until we began filming 'Scream 5' that I was told that I was going to survive and make it to the next one."

As one might expect, details on the plot for “Scream 7” have been scarce to come by. However, the inclusion of new castmate Isabella May in November gave weight to a rumor that the events of the new film may occur years following the timeline of “Scream 6.”

As reported here on The Blast, May is set to play the adult daughter of Sidney Prescott (Campbell), the original heroine of the franchise.

Sidney’s last turn in “Scream (2022)” saw her with toddlers and no mention of any other children with husband Mark Kincaid (Patrick Dempsey).

If May’s role is to be believed, then the potential events of “Scream 7” would seemingly take place long after the events of “Scream 6”

None of these factors, however, have been confirmed – save for the identity of May’s character.

As of now, “Scream 7” is set to debut on Feb. 27, 2026.

In the meantime, catch up on “Scream (2022)” and “Scream 6” on Paramount +.