All 10 Surviving Scream Characters That Could Return in Scream 8, Ranked by Likelihood

When you go to a Scream movie, you’re right to expect a big chunk of its cast list to be one-offs. They’re in this one and they’re offed, never to be seen again. For the longest time the only ones with plot armor were Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley. Then, in the reboot era, the Carpenter sisters and the Meeks-Martin twins. But those individuals aren’t the only ones who are still outside a morgue in this universe, and now that Scream 7 is a certified hit, it begs the question of who will pop up in Scream 8. To that point, let’s go through everyone who is alive still, and unpack just how likely they are to return.

That said, we left off minor characters from the past, like Rebecca Gayheart’s Lois and Portia de Rossi’s Murphy in Scream 2. The same goes for Tim Simons’ George Willis and Mark Consuelos’ Robbie Rivers from Scream 7. They have a presence here, but absolutely nothing to indicate they’ll be back down the line. Furthermore, given Joel McHale’s presence in Scream 7, it seems that Patrick Dempsey’s mark Kincaid was truly a one-and-done.

Spoilers for Scream 7 follow.

8) Sam & Tara Carpenter

As seen with Neve Campbell, it’s not entirely unheard of for a protagonist to sit out one entry then come back. But there’s a difference between the actor departing because of a pay dispute then coming back and an even more publicity-grabbing firing followed by a return, especially when the firing was seen as a massive overreaction by many people.

As it turns out, Melissa Barrera’s firing didn’t ding the opening weekend for Scream 7 at all, but her firing still rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. One must imagine she wasn’t all that thrilled about it either. Even if money were put on the table it’s doubtful she and Jenna Ortega would be clamoring to return. After all, both of their careers are doing extremely well even after having walked away from Ghostface. Speaking of walking away, Sam and Tara’s narrative really is wrapped up. The final shot of them in Scream VI is literally their turning their back on the Ghostface mask and the violence it represents. That’s the end of an arc, there really is no logical narrative sense in them returning, especially now that the franchise has shown that it can succeed by going back to basics. Let this entry also serve as the one for Danny Brackett from Scream VI. If Sam isn’t back, he isn’t back. He wouldn’t necessarily even be back if Barrera did return.

Likelihood: 5%

7) Martha Meeks

Randy Meeks may have been devastatingly offed midway through Scream 2, but the franchise has continued to incorporate him via other characters. And, before Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin, there was Randy’s sister and their mother, Martha.

First, Martha showed Sidney, Gale, and Dewey a video tape of Randy in Scream 3. It was a great cameo (both in terms of Randy and Martha) and Heather Matarazzo was a wonderful casting choice who pulled the roll off perfectly. Then we got to see her again in Scream (2022), which was a pleasant surprise but could very well be the last time. We’ll likely see her kids again, but they’re far more likely to appear than her. Then again, it’s not impossible she’ll pop up on a phone call with them or some similar bit scene.

Likelihood: 15%

6) Kirby Reed

Even if neither Scream 4 nor Scream VI are the best Scream movie, Kirby Reed elevates them. Hayden Panettiere so fully understood the assignment in her Ghostface saga debut that it was devastating when Charlie Walker stabbed her in the gut.

But, in the only case of a character being thought dead after the movie had wrapped (aka not like how Dewey or Chad are always being carted off on a stretcher at the movie’s end), Reed returned, and fans were overjoyed. Scream VI marked her return after an acting hiatus, and it would be fantastic to see her a third time. It’s far from a sure thing, but it would be great.

Likelihood: 20%

5) Chad & Mindy Meeks-Martin

As mentioned in the intro, the plot armor that once coated Sidney, Gale, and Dewey is now officially on the shoulders of Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin. Chad, especially, really should be dead by now.

Fortunately for them, they don’t get hurt too badly in Scream 7, so they’re still fair game for Scream 8. And, frankly, that’s great. Scream 7 put them to good use even though it was moving on from the Radio Silence era for the most part. Now they’re linked to Gale, and that’s not a bad way to continue from here. They’re not necessarily a lock for the next movie, but by this point they’re legacy characters, so it wouldn’t feel right for them to leave the franchise after this most recent movie.

Likelihood: 85%

4) Mark Evans

For a minute there it really looks like Sidney’s husband, Mark Evans, dies in Scream 7. But, nope, he lives, to the surprise of even the Ghostface killers.

Joel McHale managed to make himself a natural fit in the Scream world, delivering a fully serious performance that works. Sidney’s coming back in the next one, and unless he’s out of town on work (which seems unlikely since he’s a cop in the town they call home) he’ll be back, too.

Likelihood: 85%

3) Tatum Evans

Even more than Mark, Isabel May’s Tatum is certain to return in Scream 8. Scream 7 wasn’t a full passing of the torch, but it definitely went a way towards making Tatum as integral to the ensemble as Sidney. Scream 7 was the start of her arc, it’s highly doubtful she’ll suddenly sit out the next movie.

That said, there’s still a chance she does miss out on the “fun.” Scream 2 sent Sidney off to college, after all, and Tatum is just shy of college age. However, the greater likelihood is that Ghostface ends up on her campus, not that she’s on her campus and Ghostface is back in Pine Grove terrorizing her mother.

Likelihood: 95%

2) Gale Weathers

We’ll get to Sidney Prescott in a second, but for now let’s look at the other OG character: Gale Weathers. Even in Scream VI, when Sidney sat things out, Gale was very much present. In fact, some of her best scenes to date were in that film, especially considering it was the first time she had ever actually received a Ghostface phone call.

When Scream 8 comes out we can very much expect to see Courteney Cox’s name on the poster. It would be weird if she all of a sudden wasn’t part of the franchise, especially now that Scream 7 has proved that not only is there still a market for these movies but there’s also a substantial comfort with familiarity in play. This was always a nostalgia-heavy franchise, and there’s no way we’re losing the two key surviving players yet. Not to mention, one of the most fun chunks of Scream 7 is seeing Gale and Sidney working together to unravel the mystery. That will almost certainly continue to be a functioning element of the next film.

Likelihood: 100%

1) Sidney Prescott

Part of Jessica Bowden’s motive in Scream 7 is to make Tatum the new final girl. The other part of it is to bring Sidney out of retirement. She definitely succeeds on the latter front, but it’s doubtful that she fully succeeded on the former. Tatum will be back, but Sid is still the definitive final girl for this franchise. A big reason why Scream 7 is doing so well in theaters is because Neve Campbell is back, front and center for the first time since Scream 4 (which, ironically, did not get many people buying tickets).

Scream 7 could plummet from here and it will still be considered something of a success. After three days it was at nearly $100 million worldwide. And, the thing is, it very well may not plummet. Audience reception is all-around solid. We’re getting a Scream 8, and when we do Sid is going to be the lead once more.

Likelihood: 100%

Which of these characters would you most like to see in Scream 8? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

Every Scream Movie Ranked (Including Scream 7)