Patrick Dempsey’s ‘Scream 7’ Return Is Officially Dead

On Thursday, the Scream fandom was hit with some particularly tough news after it was revealed that Community alum, Joel McHale, would be starring in the upcoming seventh film as the husband of Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott. It’s not that there’s some secret beef brewing between the comedy actor and the horror franchise’s following, but it’s a casting that cuts deep for those of us who were certain that Sidney’s husband was going to be Patrick Dempsey’s Detective Mark Kincaid. Although, there were some who were still holding onto hope that Detective Kincaid, who was first introduced in 2000’s Scream 3, would pop up in the upcoming film in a different way. Today that dream has died, as Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Dempsey will in no way be involved with Scream 7.

We know that we can’t always get what we want, and we will try to accept McHale as our new Mark, but it’s going to be really difficult. For those who may need a refresher, Dempsey’s Detective Mark Kincaid joined the family through the Wes Craven-directed Scream 3. The character was tasked with keeping Sidney safe, with the romantic tension building while they hunted the new Ghostface. While we wouldn’t see him on-screen in any of the films that followed, the character “Mark” was alluded to in both the fifth and sixth titles, as Sidney’s husband. Naturally, the fandom believed that the “Mark” in question was Det. Mark Kincaid, but the creative team behind Scream 7 pulled the ol’ bait and switch through yesterday’s bummer announcement.

And just to be clear, we – as the Scream fan community – weren’t simply fan-casting Dempsey into the upcoming movie, with the actor himself teasing his potential return last fall. In October, the Grey’s Anatomy alum appeared on The Today Show, revealing that he had – in fact – been in talks for Scream 7, sharing,

“I’m waiting on the script. There has been a conversation about it. I haven’t seen anything yet. So, we’ll see what happens.”

Clearly, those talks didn’t end in the way we were all hoping they would, with Dempsey’s replacement officially unveiled yesterday. As of right now, it’s unclear how those discussions broke down, leading the production to move in a different direction.

Patrick Dempsey’s Other Slasher Family

Okay, so now that Scream is out, we will just need to stay extra patient and vigilant for Dempsey’s hopeful return in Eli Roth’s highly-anticipated Thanksgiving 2. The original movie, which carved its way into cinemas back in 2023, was an immediate crowd-pleaser, with a sequel already in the works. It allowed Dempsey to step into a completely different role than we’re used to seeing him in, and also gave him the chance to use that New England accent that he’d been forced to keep tucked away during most of his career. While a plot and casting list hasn’t been announced for the slasher sequel, we’re certainly hoping that Dempsey will be back to clean up the leftovers.

Stay tuned to Collider for more information about Scream 7. The previous two Scream films are currently streaming on Paramount+.

Scream 7

Release Date

February 27, 2026

Director

Kevin Williamson

Writers

Kevin Williamson
, Guy Busick
, James Vanderbilt

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

Watch on Paramount+