Will Scream 7 Set Up More Sequels And Spin Offs?

Highlights

• Scream 7 may start a new trilogy or expand the Scream universe.
• The horror genre is shifting towards pre-planned sequels and spin-offs.
• Scream needs to maintain quality to avoid over-saturation and fan fatigue.

Scream 7 was originally planned to be the final part of a trilogy, with the completion of Sam and Tara Carpenter’s story. However, these plans were changed drastically when Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega left the project in controversial circumstances. This prompted the return of Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, and Kevin Williamson’s hiring as Scream 7‘s new director. Rumors are circulating that the upcoming sequel could be the start of a brand-new trilogy, with the possibility of spin-offs and other projects to launch the Scream-verse.

The Scream franchise has always consisted of self-contained stories, with each sequel maintaining the same timeline. Despite there never being any planned set-ups for further entries in the series, sequels have continued to be made. There is a suggestion that Kevin Williamson’s Scream 7 could set up the expansion of the universe, which seems to be an industry trend at the moment, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe paving the way for many more franchises to follow suit.

Scream 7 could set up more sequels and possible spin-offs.

The Scream series is one of the most consistent horror franchises around, with the same characters and lineage throughout the entirety of the series, despite never actively setting up sequels. The Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises have seen many changes to their timelines over the years, with remakes also being made, but thus far, Scream has avoided all of those things that can taint a franchise forever.

This consistency bodes well for a possible shift in focus to launch a larger Scream universe, where sequels are set up ahead of time, with spin-offs also potentially featuring heavily in the ongoing story. Kevin Williamson’s original treatment for Scream did allow for the potential for more stories in the universe, but sequels were never set in stone during the production of the original movie.

Hollywood has significantly changed its way of thinking since the 1990s when the first two Scream movies were released. Back in the 90s, if a movie performed well at the box office, a sequel would be given the go ahead. However, it was very rare that a sequel would already be in the works before the release of the current movie.

Everything changed when the Marvel Cinematic Universe came along in the 00s and a whole series of movies existing in the same universe were mapped out years in advance. Star Wars has followed this same template, leading to countless sequels and spin-off movies and television series. Naturally, the horror genre has been keeping a watchful eye over these projects, and is seizing the opportunity to expand their own franchises.

Scream needs to be careful to preserve the quality of its output if the plan is to expand the universe into more sequels and spin-offs. Many fans and critics believe that the MCU and Star Wars franchises have suffered from a case of over saturation of their content, which has led to a decline in quality control. The Scream franchise already has six movies, and currently, the fans seem to want more, but this could change very quickly if there is too much content to contend with.

What Scream sequels and spin-offs could there be?

If the rumors end up being true, Scream 8 and Scream 9 could be arriving soon after Scream 7, with a planned trilogy in mind. This could quite possibly be in the same vein as the recent Halloween trilogy. It all depends on how well the sequel performs at the box office, with Scream 7’s shocking cast exits of Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega possibly affecting it.

Neve Campbell’s return in Scream 7 would suggest that this potential trilogy would be focused around Sidney Prescott, with her husband, Mark Kincaid, and her children joining the story. There is an argument that Sidney’s story has already been fully told, and Scream 7 is already stretching it out further than it can possibly go, but another two movies might just be overkill, literally.

The possibilities are endless for spin-offs in the Scream franchise, with so many characters still alive in the universe. Not to mention, the Ghostface killer can essentially be anyone, which is one of the reasons the franchise has been able to go on so long, without any change in timelines. If Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees are killed off, a new iteration needs to be formed, but if a Ghostface killer dies (which they always do), a new one can pop up in the next movie, with a brand-new character behind the mask with a motive unique to them.

A Kirby Reed spin off movie would be a good idea, especially as the Scream 4 fan favorite was re-introduced to a brand-new audience in Scream 6. Her role as an FBI agent could lead to a spin-off movie or television series where the ex Woodsboro alum investigates Ghostface killings around the country. This spin-off could also deal with the cult of Ghostface theories that have long been mooted, and expand the Scream-verse.