Courteney Cox has cast doubt on her return to the Scream franchise.
The Friends actor originated the character of Gale Weathers in the 1996 slasher, returning for sequels in 1997, 2000 and 2011.
When the franchise was rebooted in 2022 with Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega, Courteney returned alongside colleagues Neve Campbell and David Arquette.
Courteney also played Gale in the latest instalment, Scream VI, last year, but since then, the horror series has been making headlines for a series of behind-the-scenes dramas.
Production on a seventh Scream film was confirmed to be in the works last year, and while Melissa Barrera was expected to return, it was later revealed she’d been dropped from the series after voicing her support for Palestine amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
It was later revealed that Jenna would not be returning, allegedly due to filming commitments on Netflix’s Wednesday, with director Richard Landon also parting ways with the project, which he described as a “dream job that turned into a nightmare”.
After a row over pay left her out of the sixth film, Neve Campbell revealed in April that she was returning for film number seven, although Courteney is apparently less sure of whether she will be back.
“I’m not officially signed on,” she told Variety, but noted she was “excited” that the Scream saga would be continuing.
She added: “They’re rewriting all the time. It’s not like I don’t know what’s going on.”
The most recent Scream film was the first not to take place outside of its usual Woodsboro setting, instead moving the action to New York, where the younger characters had relocated.
Scream VI was also the first not to feature David Arquette, after his character was killed off in the previous instalment, although Courteney voiced her hopes that Dewy could somehow return in the future.
“I understand the reasons they did it, but whoa! Talk about a missed character,” she said. “Dewey is so loved by Scream fans. They have to figure it out.”
