Screenwriter Guy Busick knows how to resurrect franchises that many consider bled dry. After Final Destination: Bloodlines slashed past $190.9 million worldwide (as of May 29, 2025), Busick is back in the headlines—this time as the solo writer behind Scream 7.
After co-writing Scream (2022) and Scream VI alongside James Vanderbilt, Busick returns with a script penned under the direction of franchise creator Kevin Williamson. And while Vanderbilt is still on board with the story, it’s Busick who’s now holding the knife—and carving a bold new path for Sidney Prescott, Ghostface, and the slasher legacy they share.
But before getting here, everything they had planned… had to die.
Creative Reboot
In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Busick revealed Scream 7 began with the “Core Four” lineup—Sam, Tara, Mindy, and Chad—intact. But after the firing of Melissa Barrera and the exit of Jenna Ortega, the project faced a complete creative reboot.
“We weren’t able to use what we had in the previous iteration for this one,” he explained. “We just had to start from scratch, which was a bummer.”
It’s not the first time creative plans were rewritten. When Neve Campbell didn’t return for Scream VI, the original script was quickly reworked, with lines and arcs removed or reassigned. And now? The cards dealt demanded a total reset.
“We wanted to do one more ‘Core Four’ movie… but we weren’t able to port over the stuff from the other story. It was like, ‘Okay, here is what the universe dealt us.’”
The Return of Sidney Prescott
With the deck reshuffled, Busick and team looked to the franchise’s legacy—and its icon.
“There is a really specific reason why Sidney is in this movie,” Busick said. “I will say there is a reason, and we were happy with it when we cracked it. We went to Neve Campbell and said, ‘This is why. This is why Sidney now.’ Neve was like, ‘Oh, I get that.’”
“I pitched Kevin [Williamson] this first, too. He got it, and then I pitched the studio. I came up with the story with my co-writer on [Scream] 5 and 6, James Vanderbilt.”
Even with franchise creator Williamson now directing—his first time helming a Scream film—Busick was steering the writing. And he wasn’t afraid to aim for something bigger.
“I don’t want to give anything away about the reason [Scream 7] had to be a Sidney movie because there’s a really cool reason,” he teased.
Core Duo
Though Sam and Tara are out, the Meeks-Martin twins, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding, remain—thanks to Vanderbilt’s input.
“I believe it was James that came up with it. I want to give credit where credit is due, but it was an organic way why they would be in this movie,” Busick shared.
“I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say it’s through Gale. She’s the connective tissue in 5 and 6 and she’s in this. New York was obviously a big part of that. She bonded with those four and there’s a reason why these two come to this town where the action is happening.”
A New Cut: Enter Pine Grove
As for where the blood will spill, Busick is cryptic. “I don’t want to be the one to spoil where it is,” he teased, but confirmed it’s not New York.
HelloSidney.com readers have already sniffed out Pine Grove, Indiana: a fog-draped town filled with Victorian architecture, flickering porch lights. It’s the perfect place for ghosts to rise.
The timeline? “It’s an unspecified amount of time [after VI],” Busick said. “I might get contradicted by other people, but in my mind, more than two years. I would say at least two years. It could be two years, but I would say two years plus.”
“Why now?”
That’s the question Busick kept circling. Not just narratively—but philosophically.
“In all these movies, you have to ask, ‘Why now? What is the thing Scream is commenting on now?’” he said. “Scream is always in a conversation with the audience about the state of movies, the state of horror movies and in particular, franchises.”
If Scream 5 was about requels and toxic fandom and Scream 6 about franchise expansion, VII may go deeper. Much deeper. A film about legacy, burden, survival—and what happens when the Final Girl refuses to stay quiet.
“Ready or Not: Here I Come”
Busick isn’t slowing down. Beyond Scream 7, he’s also returning to the Ready or Not universe, teaming up again with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Scream 2022 and Scream VI) for Ready or Not: Here I Come, aka Ready or Not 2.
This time, Samara Weaving is joined by scream queen royalty Sarah Michelle Gellar. That’s right—Buffy and The Bride in the same blood-soaked frame. A reunion to die for.
Final Cut
From page-one rewrites to legacy returns, Scream 7 is shaping up to be a reflective—and sharp—sequel. One that understands what’s at stake when your franchise is built on trauma, commentary, and the woman who lived through it all.
We’re counting down to February 27, 2026.
