Highlights
- Dewey Riley will be greatly missed in Scream 7 after being brutally stabbed to death in Scream (2022)
- Mark Kincaid could be the perfect character to fill the void left by Dewey, potentially bringing law enforcement experience and a different dynamic to the franchise.
- Kincaid’s potential return in Scream 7, as Sidney Prescott’s husband, could offer a fresh storyline and a dynamic reminiscent of Dewey’s role in the past.
Fans are eagerly anticipating Neve Campbell’s return in Scream 7, with the sequel set to begin filming later this year. Courteney Cox is also rumored to be returning, but there is one legacy character who will be greatly missed in the upcoming entry. Dewey Riley was played by David Arquette in five Scream movies, before his character met a gruesome end in Scream (2022). But there is one legacy character from the past who could fill the void left by Dewey.
Patrick Dempsey played Mark Kincaid in Scream 3, but despite surviving the events of the third outing, he hasn’t been seen since. However, rumors have been circulating that Dempsey is set to reprise the popular role in Scream 7, as it was revealed Kincaid had married Sidney Prescott in the intervening years. Scream 7 is set to be focused on Sidney’s family, so Kincaid’s return makes perfect sense, and he could be what the franchise has been missing since Dewey died.
What happened to Dewey Riley in the Scream franchise?
Dewey Riley was the fresh-faced deputy in the Woodsboro Police Department in Scream, and he was charged with protecting Sidney Prescott, his sister, Tatum Riley and the rest of their friends from a Ghostface killer on the loose. He ends up falling in love with tabloid reporter, Gale Weathers, and they get married after the events of Scream 3. Dewey suffered a severed nerve after being stabbed in the back during the original Woodsboro murders, but he survived. Dewey was caught up in the killing spree at Windsor College in Scream 2, where he also suffered a serious knife attack, albeit surviving within an inch of his life.
Dewey Riley left Woodsboro to work as a consultant on Stab 3: Return To Woodsboro in Hollywood during the events of Scream 3. Dewey ended up defeating the Ghostface killer, Roman Bridger, by shooting him in the head. In Scream 4, Dewey was now the sheriff of Woodsboro, and he was on the case when a new Ghostface murder spree threatened the lives of his now wife, Gale Weathers, and longtime friend, Sidney Prescott.
The legacy trio of Sidney, Gale and Dewey survived the events of Scream 4 and Scream (2022) saw them all separated from each other. Sidney had moved on to an unspecified location far away from Woodsboro. Gale was now the host of a morning show in New York City after splitting from Dewey, who had been forced to retire as the Sheriff of Woodsboro. Dewey still lived in Woodsboro, when yet another Ghostface killing spree started, and his luck finally ran out, when he was brutally stabbed to death while trying to protect Sam and Tara Carpenter from Ghostface.
Mark Kincaid could be the perfect replacement for Dewey in Scream 7
The death of Dewey Riley caused an uproar with fans, who were devastated by the loss of one of the best characters in the franchise. However, the Core Four of Sam, Tara, Chad and Mindy took center stage in Scream 6, paving the way for a new generation of characters in order to move away from the legacy characters. Sidney Prescott was nowhere to be seen during the events of Scream 6, choosing to go into hiding with Mark Kincaid and their three children, and Gale Weathers played a supporting role, and narrowly survived a brutal attack by Ghostface.
Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega’s exits from Scream 7 have resulted in the franchise leaning towards legacy characters yet again, with the return of Sidney Prescott and (most likely) Gale Weathers. But Scream 7 will feel the loss of Dewey Riley more than ever, if there isn’t a similar character to fill his shoes. If rumors are true and Patrick Dempsey does return as Mark Kincaid, he could be the perfect character to replace Dewey.
One of the most popular aspects of the Scream movies was the love story between Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley, but this will be missing from Scream 7. However, Mark Kincaid and Sidney Prescott’s love story could successfully fill this void. Mark Kincaid could also replace Dewey in terms of having a character with a background in law enforcement. Both Kincaid and Dewey were cops, and Scream 7 could do with a police presence in the story, which Kincaid could provide.
It is likely that Mark Kincaid has continued his law enforcement career in the years following Scream 3, but chances are, he will no longer be a homicide detective. Kincaid could instead be the sheriff of the town where he resides with Sidney and their children, which would make his role even more reminiscent of Dewey Riley.
Despite their crime fighting backgrounds, Kincaid and Dewey are very different characters, but there are enough similarities between them to suggest Kincaid could be Dewey-esque in Scream 7. Kincaid had seen some horrific things in his career as a homicide detective in Hollywood, before he even met Sidney, Gale and Dewey. However, Dewey has also seen some horrific things in his life. During the events of Scream (2022), Dewey was a significantly darker character than in previous entries, where he had exuded Barney Fife-type attributes. Kincaid was always an intense character, and his role in Scream 7 could veer more towards Dewey’s darker role in Scream (2022), rather than the more comedic Dewey in earlier sequels.
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