Scream 7 Smartly Brings Back Mason Gooding For Next Film

Posted in: Casting, Movies | Tagged: Mason Gooding, scream 7

Mason Gooding has signed on to return to the Scream franchise as Scream 7 pre-production really starts to ramp up.

Article Summary

Mason Gooding returns as Chad in Scream 7, exciting fans of the iconic horror franchise.
Neve Campbell and others join him, while Courtney Cox’s return is still uncertain.
Christopher Landon was to direct but exited after franchise leads Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega left.
Scream 7 faces challenges, but anticipation is high for its 2026 theatrical release.

Scream 7 has smartly brought back a character from the last two films, as Mason Gooding will return as Chad, one of the brightest spots of the last two films in the franchise. There is no word yet on whether Jasmin Savoy Brown will also be back as his sister Mindy, but fingers crossed that happens. Gooding joins Neve Campbell, Isabel May, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace, and Sam Rechner in the new film. Still no word on who else besides Campbell and Gooding might be back in the film from the original set of movies or the recent hit sequels, though there has been talk about Courtney Cox being back once again as Gail. Variety reported the casting news. The film will be directed by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the original 1996 film from a script by Gary Busick.

Scream 7 Should Start Filming Early Next Year

After the success of the sixth film in the franchise last year, the announcement of a seventh installment felt like a foregone conclusion. It took a long while to get that announcement, however. That was the first sign that Spyglass and Paramount may have a problem on their hands. After a six-month wait, we learned that Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) would take over the director’s chair for part seven, replacing Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, who helmed the last two films to critical acclaim and box office success. While staying on as producers, it was curious why they allowed Universal to poach them for another horror project when they had spent two movies setting up a new Scream universe for a new generation.

Mason Gooding as Chad in Scream 5. Screengrab from the trailer.

Then, last November happened. After a round of social media posts deemed controversial, new franchise star Melissa Barrera was fired from Scream 7. A day later, we learned that Jenna Ortega, the other new star of the franchise and one of Hollywood’s biggest young names, would also not be returning due to scheduling conflicts. Many still think it was in solidarity with Barrera, though the studios say that her exit was known for a while behind closed doors. Finally, two days ago, Landon announced on social media that he had left the project weeks ago. It’s not hard to put the pieces together there; it was probably after the two franchise leads were gone.

Scream 7 hits theaters in February 2026.

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