As Scream 7 nears its release next February, fans of the beloved horror franchise are still receiving news about the secretive horror sequel. Last we heard, director Kevin Williamson had found a way to bring back legacy characters, with some even rising from the grave. Now a new rumor has suggested that Hayden Panettiere, also known as Kirby Reed, possibly reprising her role in the upcoming Scream 7.
The news wasn’t part of any announcement regarding Scream 7. It may actually have been a slip of the finger, or perhaps an update that should have remained a secret. In any case, Panettiere’s return in Scream 7 was accidentally revealed by Entertainment Weekly in a profile about the actor’s drama series Nashville. The article, which has been updated to reflect that Kirby is still not confirmed to return, originally included the following excerpt:
After the series wrapped in 2018, Panettiere took a four-year break from acting. She returned to the screen in Scream VI (2023), reprising her Scream 4 hero Kirby Reed, and has since appeared in the films Amber Alert (2024) and A Breed Apart (2025). Next, she’ll team up with Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott for Scream 7 (2026).
Panettiere played Kirby Reed first in Scream 4, giving life to one of the franchise’s most interesting characters. Though she didn’t return in the 2022 sequel, she was featured in Scream VI, playing an FBI special agent who joins the survivors in hunting down Ghostface.
Scream 7 is written by Guy Busick, from a story he co-developed with James Vanderbilt. Busick and Vanderbilt are the only creatives from Scream‘s new generation to return for the seventh installment after the 2023 media blitz associated with the previous film leads. Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter behind Wes Craven’s Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 4, is now in the director’s chair for the franchise’s official relaunch.
Who Is Confirmed to be Returning in ‘Scream 7’?
Scream 7 will feature the return of legacy stars Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell. Campbell was not in 2023’s Scream VI because of a pay dispute, but she will now reclaim her role as Sidney Prescott, the movie’s original lead and classic final girl. By the time of Scream 7, Courteney Cox and Roger L. Jackson (Ghostface’s voice) will be the only Scream performers to appear throughout all movies in the horror franchise.
Joining them will be David Arquette, Scott Foley, and Matthew Lillard. While Dewey, Stu and Roman were killed in previous sequels, the film will feature the actors reprising their characters, although it hasn’t been revealed if they will show up in a flashback or a dream sequence. Their return is the one question mark on everyone’s minds.
Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding appeared in 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI. They will also return in Scream 7, and will be the only returning cast members from Scream‘s new generation that will return in the upcoming sequel. New cast members include Joel McHale, Isabel May, Anna Camp, Ethan Embry, Mark Consuelos, McKenna Grace, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, and Sam Rechner, among others.
