Summary
Scream 7will begin filming in December 2024, with Kevin Williamson signed on to direct a Sidney Prescott focused new entry in the popular horror franchise. Neve Campbell is the only cast member officially signed on, but it is expected that Courteney Cox will also return as Gale Weathers in the sixth sequel.Many fans weren’t happy with Gale’s role inScream 6, and they wantScream 7to recapture the magic of what made her character great in Wes Craven’s Scream movies.
The Core Fourtook center stage in Radio Silence’s two Scream movies, with the legacy characters taking a back seat.Gale was significantly sidelined duringScream 6, and it was the first time her character didn’t feature in the Ghostface killer reveal.Scream 7needs to bring her center stage once again, to join forces with Sidney in the battle against the next Ghostface.
Scream 6 Featured Some Great Gale Moments But Many Fans Were Disappointed She Didn’t Play A Much Larger Role
Gale Weathersis the only character to appear in all six Scream movies, and she is very much the connective tissue that links everything together. However,Courteney Cox’s role inScream 6was a bone of contention among many legacy fans of the franchise, as they felt her character, Gale Weathers, was criminally underused.Scream 6already had to contend with the loss of Neve Campbell, due to a pay dispute with Spyglass, so it was imperative that Cox returned as Gale to keep the legacy of the franchise alive.
Gale’s return inScream 6felt totally logical as she was already a long-term resident of New York City, where the new Ghostface attacks took place. However,instead of being front and center of the action like she was in Wes Craven’s Scream movies,Gale Weathers' problemwas that she was sidelined inScream 6,as the story focused onSam and Tara Carpenterand their fellow Core Four friends, Chad and Mindy Meeks-Martin. It was understandable that the focus was on these new characters inScream 6, as the passing of the torch was set up inScream (2022). Sidney Prescott’s absence during the New York slayings arguably made this change of focus more necessary. However,Sidney’s no show inScream 6should’ve given Gale Weathers the opportunity to feature in a bigger role, but it wasn’t to be.
Cox played Gale with her usual gusto inScream 6, withthe sixth sequel not without its great Gale moments, with the highlights being her quips at the expense of fellow legacy character,Kirby Reed, and her epic fight with Ghostface,which nearly resulted in the iconic final girl’s death.
Directed By
Kevin Williamson
Gale’s survival inScream 6has paved the way for a return to the character’s former greatness inScream 7,and fans are hopeful this will be the case, if, as expected, Courteney Cox officially signs on. Sidney’s return inScream 7will surely see Gale become central to the story once again, and withKevin Williamsonon board to direct, he could be instrumental in making Gale great again, as he was the one who created the character way back in the 90s.
Legendary Scream YouTube content creators,Craven Something ScaryandThe Nightwatch Zonediscussed Gale’s potential return in a recentlive stream titled ‘Scream 7theories and Ghostface tier rankings’. The Nightwatch Zone had this to say about Gale Weathers:
If Courteney Cox comes back, I hope that they can somehow recapture the magic of the character of Gale. Especially in 6, that was so ridiculous that they didn’t give Courteney Cox more to work with. The attack scene was great, but that was it. She did not need to be in the movie. Assuming she’s coming back in Scream 7, they have got to make her stand out again.
This sums up how a lot ofScream legacy fansfeel about the way Gale Weathers was utilized inScream 6. However,there is hope that Gale can ‘revitalize her tarnished brand’ inScream 7, with the character still having a lot to offer,even after nearly 30 years and six movies under her belt. Gale didn’t feature heavily inScream (2022), but there was some significant development for her character during the aftermath of Dewey’s death, as fans saw a more emotional side to her as she dealt with her grief.
In addition to this, Gale’s promise not to write about the latest Ghostface killings was a significant development for the typically fame-hungry journalist inScream (2022). However,Scream 6saw Gale do the opposite of this, as it was revealed she did end up writing a book about the latest Ghostface attacks inWoodsboro, which lessened the impact of her previous development.Scream 7needs to deepen Gale’s character while still featuring major aspects of what made her so popular in the early movies.Fans want to see Gale be the cutthroat journalist she always was, while still showcasing a softer side.
